


You Make Me Feel Alive

by bryanpdechart (steveharringtonofficial)



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: (aka Eden Club fight reenacted and some others), (aka reenactment of the Russian Roulette chapter), F/M, Female pronouns, Gavin Reed in it briefly, Mentions of Hank's alcoholism, Romantic Themes, Spoilers, Swearing, Violence, mainly from Hank
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-30
Updated: 2018-08-24
Packaged: 2019-05-31 08:25:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 25,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15115580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/steveharringtonofficial/pseuds/bryanpdechart
Summary: You’re Hank’s daughter, just dealing with life until Connor shows up. after joining them both on a mission, Connor begins to question things he knows he shouldn’t.





	1. Chapter 1

You had only to pop into the station for a moment to pass something onto your dad. You made your way through the front doors, immediately greeting the receptionist as her LED blinked yellow for just a moment before letting you pass without a word, registering who you were. You were here often enough, everyone knew who you were – the famed daughter of Hank Anderson, best Lieutenant they had.

Something seemed off when you passed through the barriers, though. The usually empty seat opposite your father’s desk was now occupied by a dark-haired man and your father seemed a little distressed. He’d mentioned when he got back last night that the department was giving him a new partner to work on some cases with, murmuring something about ‘fuckin’ androids’ before stumbling off to bed.

The two of them turned to look at you and you noticed the bright blue band on the man’s arm, and then the LED on his temple, signalling he was an android. The LED flashed orange for just a second, before returning to blue as he looked towards Hank, trying to connect the dots. You father stood up from his desk in an attempt to reach you before you met his new partner.

“(Y/N), what are you doing here?” Your father asked you, touching you gently on the arm as he placed himself between you and the android, making sure your attention was focused on him.

“I just had to give you these.” You handed him a couple of letters with a glowing red ‘URGENT!’ on the front. “Thought they looked important, and I was passing by anyway, so I thought I would bring them in for you.”

“Oh, well, thanks.” He said quickly, and you noticed his determination to get you to leave as soon as possible.

You saw through him, however, and brushed past him to meet the stranger. He stood up when he realised it was him you were moving towards, smoothing down his sleek suit jacket with his hands.

“Hi, I’m (Y/N), and you are?” You asked, holding out your hand for him to shake. You couldn’t see it but you knew your dad was rolling his eyes behind your back. Of course, you would do this. It would only piss him off.

The android was hesitant at first, for reasons unknown to you. Androids usually complied immediately but he seemed almost nervous to greet you. Nevertheless, his oddly warm hand slipped into yours, firmly shaking it. “My name is Connor. I’m the android sent by Cyberlife.”

You gave him a warm smile, turning to face your dad who was making his way back to his desk. You took the same hand you shook Connor’s with to gesture over to your dad. “He can be a bit of a dick sometimes but he’s a good person, I promise.” You grinned at your dad who shot you a look of disgust, you knew he didn’t mean it though.

Connor tilted his head slightly to the side, looking between you and the lieutenant. “Noted.” He sat back down in the seat your father had presumably assigned him. He seemed so stiff, sitting with almost complete rigidness. Your father was extremely relaxed most of the time so Connor’s posture was entirely new to you.

You realised how tense things would be now that Connor was paired up with your father, but you decided to leave them to it instead of pestering them more. Your dad could tell you all about it when he got home since you were sure they’d have things to do.

“Well, I better get going.” You walked around the desk to your father, planting a kiss on the top of his head. “Be safe, don’t die, blah, blah, blah.” You giggled and your father managed to get out a “thanks” amidst his brooding.

You shot Connor a quick smile, too, before leaving the office which he reciprocated. He didn’t seem all too bad, but you knew your father wouldn’t be too happy about it. He’d blamed the androids for everything that had happened, expressing complete intolerance to them most of the time. But Connor seemed different than the others. Maybe he’d come around and realise they’re not all what he makes them out to be.

 

* * *

 

Your father returned home around midnight which was a little early considering his record – sometimes he’d be at the office working on a case ‘til all hours of the night, other times he’d be getting himself blind drunk over at Jimmy’s and you’d have to go and drag him home if it was getting too late. You couldn’t smell any alcohol and you breathed a sigh of relief before getting up to say hi.

Your dog got there first, though, bounding towards your dad. Well, not quite bounding – he was a bit older now, but he still got there before you did, much enthusiasm in his steps.

“Hey, Sumo,” he greeted the dog, petting its head and then it’s tummy as it rolled over for him. He gave in to your loveable dog, letting his knees crack as he knelt down to give the dog some love.

He looked up at you, his softened features turned to a sterner look. “I’m going to say this now – don’t go befriending Connor, he’s just a machine.”

You stepped back a little, confused by his words. You’ll admit that you’d thought a bit about Connor since you’d met him earlier in the day but becoming friends wasn’t part of the plan, at least not consciously. You’d hope to meet him again since he seemed like a nice person – a nice machine, as your father had put it.

“Are you sure about that?” You asked calmly, not wanting to anger him but just make him think.

Think for once that maybe these androids were more than just parts, more than just wires, more than just code. They looked human, sounded human, felt human. They could pass for one if they didn’t have invasive blue LED lights all over them signalling to everybody what they were. You’d seen the case he was working on briefly while you were at the station, you’d seen the reports over the television. Androids not listening to their ‘masters’, refusing to comply, some straight up defending themselves over the abuse they had been taking for years.

Faulty wiring, they said. A virus, perhaps. You thought it was more than that.

“He’s only here to help with the cases involving deviants. He’ll help get it sorted and then leave, it’s what he’s programmed to do.” Your father just sounded fed up now, like he was tired of having Connor around for barely a day. Tired of you always making him think about androids.

You bit your tongue. You couldn’t argue with your father, as much as you wanted to. You left him to it, going into your room since he was back and you didn’t have to worry any more. You’d always stayed up and waited for him, even though he’d told you not to. You couldn’t help it though, too many times he’d passed out drunk in the middle of the night for you to wake up and find him. Too many times he’d slipped up when he said he wouldn’t.

He was home now though, and that meant you could go get some rest. He seemed placid enough too, so hopefully he didn’t reach for the drink tonight. You’d hidden it before, but he always managed to find it. The only other thing you could do was pour it all out. Your father wasn’t an angry man, but you did not want to get on his bad side and Connor’s arrival might have worsened his usual demeanour, so you thought you’d keep an extra eye on him for the next couple of days.

 

* * *

 

Your father was gone before you woke, but he’d left a little message on the kitchen countertop to make sure you knew where he was. You’d told him off so many times before about not telling you where he was, he knew exactly what he should do if he had to leave without telling you first.

Today, all he said was that he had to be at the office early, to go over evidence they’d found last night. You decided that was fair enough and got ready to go out to your own work. You worked part time at a local store, the other half of your time being dedicated to your college work. You wanted to be like your dad even though he insisted on you pursuing a different career. Crime always fascinated you, you didn’t care how dangerous it might be to work in the field and your father’s boss liked you so much, he basically guaranteed you a job once you’d finished your schooling.

Work held you back a little while longer than you'd have liked, though. You didn't mind it when your boss asked you to cover more shifts, but you didn't like it when you had to leave so late. It was nearing 8pm when your boss let you leave, so you quickly grabbed your things and got in a cab back to your house.

A flashing blue LED caught your eye as you got out of your cab.

“Connor?” you called out, you'd thought you recognised him but it was getting dark and you couldn’t quite make it out from his silhouette.

“(Y/N)?” Connor turned to face you, seeming surprised, his LED flashing yellow for just a second. He took his finger off of the doorbell that he had clearly been ringing. “Is Lieutenant Anderson inside?”

“He should be, why?” You asked him as you made your way to the door. Connor stood where he was, watching you make your way towards him.

“I've rang the doorbell a few times and he isn't answering. It's locked too. I was just about to look for another way in. I’m lucky you showed up, otherwise I might have broken a window.” You couldn’t quite tell if Connor was joking about that last part or whether he was serious. Either way, he did seem slightly worried that someone had maybe happened to your father.

“He's not too fond of your type, he's probably just ignoring you.” You tried to make it sound nicer than it was, though Connor didn't seem too bothered, more intent on finding your father and getting to work.

You rummaged around in your bag to find the keys to your house and slid the key in the lock. You opened the door to Sumo barking at you.

“Hey, hey, it's just me.” You calmed him, holding your hand out so he could bop his head against your palm. You gave him a quick scratch on the head.

Connor peered over your shoulder at the creature, curious. You wondered if it was his first time seeing one in real life. It was entirely likely he hadn’t been programmed with this type of information at all, given what his function was, and there was only so much he could learn with an instantaneous search of the internet.

“He won't bite, go on.” You motioned for Connor to give Sumo a pat on the head, moving out of the way for him to get past.

Connor knelt down to greet the dog, offering Sumo his hand like you had done. He sniffed it before licking it afterwards, and Connor brought his hand up to the dog's head to pet him. Connor seemed genuinely intrigued by your dog, an action you weren't expecting from his like.

You turned your attention elsewhere, dumping your bag on the floor, the keys on a shelf. You were about to call out for your father when the smell started to hit you. The nauseating scent of strong alcohol. “Shit,” you mumbled to yourself.

Connor seemed as though he was about to ask if there was a problem but you slipped just out of his reach, a fast stride set on finding your dad.

He was lying on the floor in the kitchen, spilled bottle on the floor, puke all over himself. Your eyes caught the gun also lying next to him and it brought all your strength not to cry in front of Connor. This had happened too many times before, and each time you were more scared for him. You knew his games, and though you knew he hadn’t managed it from the lack of blood, you still didn’t want to go over and check, just in case.

A gentle touch on your shoulder made you jump. Connor's hand was offering comfort which you embraced with open arms. You caught his eyes and he gave you a sympathetic look. His brown eyes were too gentle and caring to be in his line of work. Every now and then you forgot androids weren’t real people, they emulated emotions so well sometimes.

“I'll give you a hand.” His touch was gone in an instant as he moved towards your father and you found yourself missing it’s slight warmth, the feeling of knowing someone was there for you. You shook the feeling off, focusing on your dad. You shouldn’t be thinking about Connor that way anyway.

“Is he okay?” You asked, knowing Connor was diagnosing the state your father was in, taking in all the environmental clues. You wondered what he would think – if he would just get on with it or if he would be concerned over the fact your dad was basically trying to kill himself. If he would be concerned for you.

“He's just in an ethylic coma.” Connor said, but he realised what he said when he looked up to your confused face. “An alcohol induced coma. He'll be fine.” Connor reassured you, just a flash of his deep brown eyes towards you made you feel calmer.

Connor decided the best course of action was slapping your father to wake him. You didn't stop him, it was what you would have done, too, considering noise wouldn’t wake him. He was too far gone for that.

Two quick slaps on the cheek didn't work. Connor looked up at you, silently asking if it was okay for him to hit your father harder to attempt to wake. You nodded, and Connor complied, smacking your father right across the face, sending him jolting upright with a groan.

“Hey! The fuck are you doing here?” Your father grumbled at Connor. His words were slurred, barely comprehensible. You were used to drunk language by now though, unfortunately.

Connor stayed kneeled next to him as you spoke, ready to help him up when you were ready. “He's helping me deal with you.”

He blinked a few times, trying to see you through his blurred vision. He was frowning, as if you and Connor had been of some inconvenience to him. As if you shouldn’t be here, like this wasn’t your home or something.

“You're not supposed to be back.” He managed to slur out, the stench of alcohol growing stronger with his breath. You winced at the smell.

“I said I would be late. Not that I wasn't coming home.” You retorted, but it was no use arguing with a drunk man.

Connor initially tried to get the man on his feet but he pushed him away. “Get the fuck off me you fuckin’ android.”

You decided to step in, placing an arm under his back and grabbing his arm to pull him up. He resisted, but when Connor began to help again, he was no match against the two of you. Your father generally was quite strong but in his drunken state, he may as well have the strength of a child.

Your father turned to you, grey hair falling all over his face but he didn’t bother to shake it out the way. “Why the fuck is he here?”

His breath made your eyes water slightly but you focused your energy on holding him up, the two of you walking round to the bathroom so you could get him sobered and cleaned up.

“He was here when I got home.” You responded, looking over to Connor for clarification. He never actually told you what he was doing at your home after hours.

“We've got a new case.” You nodded your head in acknowledgement. He wasn't even talking to you though so it didn’t matter much. Then again, your father wasn’t paying attention so it was good for Connor to know at least someone was listening.

You managed to get your dad into the bathroom and sit him down on the edge of the bath. He fell straight into the tub, groaning loudly but all in all, didn't seem too hurt by it. You reached for the tap, your go-to for sobering him up, turning it on so the freezing cold water fell from the shower head and onto his face.

Almost immediately his hands went flying up, trying to guard himself from the liquid. “What the fuck are you doing? Turn it off!”

You complied, turning the water off and allowing your dad to settle himself on the edge of the bathtub once again.

He looked back and forth between you and Connor, squinting his eyes slightly, clearly trying to read the situation. “Why is he here again?” His question was directly aimed at you, spoken as if Connor wasn't even in the room.

“He's got a case and you’ve gotta help him. It's your job.” You said, turning to Connor who nodded his head gently in agreement.

“I'm not going with that thing.” He tried to stand up in defiance, but it immediately backfired. He lost his balance and the two of you both reached for him to steady him so he didn’t hurt himself this time. He sat back down firmly where he just was, grabbing the side of the bathtub for stability.

You sighed in frustration, walking out of the bathroom. “I'm getting you some clothes, and then you're going to go with Connor.” You called back to him. No reply came but you could hear his huffs and grumbling.

You searched his closet for some clean clothes, no regard for matching anything, and brought them to him. He took them reluctantly and you and Connor left him be while he threw up in the toilet. You sighed as you heard the noise, wishing tonight would be the last night. You wished each time he did this it would be the last, but they never came true.

You situated yourself on the sofa, your head in your hands. Why did he have to make things so complicated? Why couldn't he keep his promises? Every time, he’d tell you he’d do better. He’d do better for you and for the memory of Cole. For the dog. For himself.

Movement on the sofa next to you made you lift your head. Connor had sat himself beside you, his hand already reaching out to comfort you. Steady hands where instead yours were shaking. Stability in a world of chaos.

“Are you okay?” He asked you, not taking his eyes off of you as you watch him place his hand on your back. You didn’t think he would have been programmed with reassurance, maybe he wasn’t, but he was certainly good at it.

“What's it matter to you?” You didn't mean for it to sound as rude as it did and knotted your brow in frustration, dipping your head into your hands once again. You always struggled with talking about your feelings. Your dad tried his best to be accommodating, but sometimes he wasn't the best listener. Connor, however, seemed very good at listening, at knowing his place.

You looked back up at Connor as you were about to apologise, but you saw his LED flickering yellow. What did it matter to him? You weren't part of his mission, yet he found himself prioritising you and your feelings. He shook the thought out of his head, the LED quickly returning to its natural blue colour.

He stood up and looked around, impatient. His thoughts had gotten the better of him. He wasn't supposed to have thoughts, at least not ones like  _that_. Not ones that were completely irrelevant to his mission.

His eyes landed on Sumo, sleeping over by his bed, then to the bathroom door where Hank was still inside, then to the kitchen where the two of you had found him. Connor walked over to the room, picking up things to see if he could gather more information on the situation.

First was the gun, no doubt analysing what kind of mental state Hank was in. He checked the rounds in the barrel, only one, you could tell from where you were. Next was the bottle, your dad's favourite drink, spilled all over the floor and you were tempted to not even think about buying him a new batch in the holidays. Connor tidied both onto the table where he found a turned over photograph.

You knew what it was before he picked it up. The reason for your dad's behaviours. The reason for your dad's hatred towards androids. The reason why it was too difficult for him to keep his promises like he always insisted he would, and then didn't.

The LED flashed yellow, and then blue, no doubt Connor had figured out who was in the picture, and who was missing from it. He looked over towards you, sadness washing over him. He knew he wasn't supposed to feel things like that but sometimes you just can't help it. He lay the photograph back down and intended to talk to you, but your father came out before that could happen.

“Where's our incident?” He asked Connor, glancing over towards you on the sofa. You cringed at his mismatched clothing, perhaps you should have payed more attention when choosing his garments.

“It's at the Eden Club, a man was found dead, they suspect it was one of the androids.” Connor explained. You found he had a nice voice for talking, soothing, you could listen to him all day if he'd let you. You wished he would speak more.

Your dad came over to pet Sumo, telling him to be a good boy while he was gone. You expected him to just say goodbye and that would be that, but he stopped to talk to you. He bit the side of his cheek before talking, debating whether or not he should.

“Do you want to come?” He asked you, his voice sounding as though he wished you'd refuse, but he knew you'd say yes if given the chance.

You almost couldn't believe he'd asked you though. Every time you had asked before to join him in an investigation, he'd shut you down, saying things like it was too dangerous for you and he couldn't bear to see you get hurt too.

You nodded your head excitedly, ready to join in with all the trouble your father gets up to. Although you were sort of concerned the first time you got to join your dad in his investigations was at an android sex club, but you didn’t want to start complaining.

You watched Connor’s LED flash yellow. “You know this might be dangerous?” He asked, concerned with your safety above all. He could tell you wished to go very much but at the same time, if you were to get hurt, he wouldn't forgive himself, or he knew it was something he shouldn't. Then again, Hank was allowing you to come. And you were his daughter above all things, if he was okay with it then Connor should be, too.

“Yes,” you replied defiantly, already hopping off the sofa and grabbing a jacket, ready to head out.

Connor's LED quickly turned blue again, oblivious to how Hank was watching his every move, curious as to why he seemed distressed over something like this. He ignored it for now, heading out the door with you and Connor following behind.


	2. Chapter 2

The three of you turned up at the Eden Club, and were escorted in. Hank followed the policeman but you were more caught up with the androids almost fully on display. It seemed wrong, for them to be put up in a shop window, used for a half hour and then put back again, ready to be of service to the next customer. The thought disgusted you, not because they were androids, but just the idea that they were just merchandise to be used over and over again.

“What the fuck are you two doing?” You heard your father call before quickly diverting your attention from the androids to your father's angry scowl, to Connor who seemed to wonder what on earth you were thinking. Maybe it was the same as what he was thinking. He shouldn't _be_ thinking, he kept telling himself.

You quickly followed your father over to the scene of the crime, listening in on the information he was being told. They suspect one of the androids killed a man while they were in use, but it wasn't clear since both the man and the android inside were dead.

You entered the room, only to find Gavin and another policeman inside. You'd always hated Gavin; he thought he was so much better than everyone else and never missed an opportunity to take a pass at you.

“The android _and_ the little princess. You're racking up quite the team, Lieutenant.” Gavin's words were slick with sarcasm, and you couldn't help but feel uncomfortable with his terms. A princess? You'd tear him to shreds in a second if you could, not very princess-like, obviously.

Instead, you gave him a half-hearted smile, trying to think of something witty to say to make him shut him up.

“Just get out of here, Gavin, this is our investigation.” Your father wasn't putting up with his bullshit, he never did. The second Gavin had turned up at the station, Hank knew he’d be trouble. Smart-assing his way around the office seemed to be his preferred method.

Gavin scoffed, pushing between you and Connor, knocking Connor sideways a little bit. “There's no investigation here, looks like our guy just got a little more action than he anticipated.” You could hear his laughter as he left, as if homicide was a joke to him, if that's really what this was. The other officer left afterwards with an apologetic look directed your way. No one really liked Gavin but everyone put up with him for some reason.

Connor and your dad immediately started looking for clues around the scene, checking the bodies and anything else they could find which would lead them to the true cause of the man’s death. Connor analysed the dead man first, noting aloud how the man had been strangled, clearly supported by the bruising on his neck. Your dad made a quick comment about how that didn't prove anything though, could have been ‘rough play’. You scoffed at his remark, sure it could have been rough play but the fact the other android was dead on the floor too, it didn't seem quite like it.

Connor next knelt down next to the android. He immediately dipped his fingers in the blue blood dripping from her nose, making both you and your father turn to disgust as he went to put it in his mouth. Your father mumbled that Connor was being disgusting as he went to double check the dead man. Clearly he’d seen him do it before but you were more intrigued by it.

“It's how I analyse substances,” Connor explained, clearly not fazed by the fact he essentially just put someone else's blood in his mouth. Then again, they were just machines, _he_ was just a machine - these types of things wouldn't bother him.

You couldn't help but see him as something more though, more than just hardware and wiring and oddly bright blue blood. They were all always something more to you, not just merchandise to be sold and owned and ordered about, and Connor was beginning to make you think it again. He seemed so much more real than the others, and of course, he is a state of the art prototype and he should be more realistic than the others but there's always just something a little off about him. Something a little more human.

You shook the thoughts out of your head, focusing on the task at hand. There was little way you could figure out what actually happened since there was no surveillance in the rooms. The only things which would remember what happened would be the man, which was clearly no use, and the android, if Connor was capable of waking her up.

“Can you access her memory?” You queried, coming closer to the body Connor was still examining.

“I would have to wake her up first, and even then, she would be in shock, so it might be hard to get any information out of her, but I'll give it a shot.”

Connor did his thing, rewiring her insides in order to bring her back to life again. The second she was awake again, she screamed, scurrying off to the corner, absolutely terrified. You would be too if you had died and then were somehow brought back to life again.

Connor tried to keep her calm, making sure she knew that you weren't going to hurt her, just trying to get information. She said snippets of useful information here and there, but she was too damaged, too scared to say anything more of what happened. Right before she shut down once more, she mentioned there was another android in the room, who was nowhere to be seen from the looks of it.

“So how do we find a deviant among all the other androids in this place?” You asked, looking for more suggestions on how to track her down. Neither of the two men seemed to know, but the three of you left the room nonetheless, looking for anything in the main area which would give you more information.

Your father left to interrogate the owner on more while you and Connor scanned the rest of the room. He was actually looking for things that would help, you were still concerned about the welfare of the androids. They clearly aren't being treated well, they never were. And when they are, it's a rare instance, some kind fool who has the decency to be kind to humans and androids alike. Who understands they could be just like humans if they were allowed to, if they wanted to. Why did only some want to? Would Connor be one of them? What could possibly turn him deviant?

Connor came over to you, though you hardly noticed amidst your thoughts. He tapped you gently on the shoulder making you jump but his soft smile calmed you down instantly.

“Are you alright?” He asked. Was that even in his programming? Shouldn't he just be focusing on the mission? He ignored the markers telling him to look for more information. After all, if you were not alright, then that may hinder the mission, and he couldn’t have that. His question was entirely justified.

You nodded quickly, averting your eyes from him. “Yeah, just thinking.” Which wasn’t technically a lie, it just wasn't about the investigation. “Do you think you could access their memories?” You asked, the sudden realisation that was a thing you could do with androids coming to your head, as well as trying to move the conversation off of yourself.

Connor raised an eyebrow, clearly having not thought of it himself. He tried to rent the girl out, but his lack of human fingerprints rendered it useless. You would have tried but you doubted you had enough cash in your back account for you to even consider it. You called your father over instead, at least he would be able to claim it back, hopefully, as awkward as that may be.

“Did you find something?” He asked, concerned about the fact that the two of you were eyeing up a sex-bot.

“Connor needs to access its memory, but you need to rent it first.” You said, dispelling your father's concerns quickly. He was still dubious, raising an eyebrow in uncertainty.

“Fine. But this is not going to look good on my expenses account.” Your father tapped the touchpad a few times, and the glass door whirred open and the woman walked out.

Connor immediately grabbed her arm, the synthetic skin he’d projected now disappearing to show the white plastic underneath. He saw her memory in an instant, immediately seeing the other girl walk out of the room. He stepped back abruptly, the girl doing the same, almost shocked at the event that just happened.

“The other, she was a blue-haired Traci. She went towards the door.” Connor was mumbling his words, already walking towards the entrance, and you were following, eager to figure out the rest of the story.

You father was calling out, asking what to do with the girl who was just standing there patiently. Eventually he just told her to go back, trying to explain to her why it was so in an oddly hilarious way as Connor was eyeing up another android to probe for its memory. He quickly came up behind the two of you, murmuring something about hoping Connor knew what he was doing before renting another girl.

It took Connor at least 5 more tries before he figured out exactly where the Traci went, into the back of the club, the warehouse. Your father decided he would assume control of the situation, ordering both you and Connor to stay behind him. You could understand him telling you, but not Connor. Surely your father wasn’t concerned over Connor’s safety considering he was a highly advanced prototype presumably equipped with ways to deal with these situations. Or perhaps it was just a natural instinct to protect those around him.

Either way, he slowly opened the door, gun pointed in front of him, looking around for anything that seemed out of place. He lowered his gun, however, signalling that he couldn’t see anything and that it was reasonably safe. You followed him in, looking around the warehouse. It was filled with androids, stored in the back because they were no longer of use. You didn’t think that was OK – using them and leaving them in the back when they no longer functioned correctly, or when a better model came out.

“Did you see something?” Connor asked you, noticing you staring into one of the groups of androids. He peered into the group too, trying to see what he thought you might have saw.

You shook your head, turning your attention elsewhere in the room. “Just thinking about something.” Again, not technically a lie, just not integral to the investigation.

“You do that a lot.” You could have sworn you heard Connor laugh slightly, but he was elsewhere in the room by the time you turned back to look for him.

The three of you looked around the room, looking for any sort of clues which might tell you where the girl went. You looked into another group of androids, but there was nothing of note. Until you looked back. None of the other androids had their LEDs on, but two – their LEDs were glowing red.

“Hey, Connor?” You called out, but before he could reach you, you were shoved back by one of the androids, falling hard onto the concrete floor.

Connor helped you back up first, silently asking if you were alright before running after the two girls. You weren’t trained to fight – yet – but you wanted to help both Connor and you father, who was equally getting caught up in the ruckus.

The androids seemed to be getting the upper hand, but Connor had just as fast reflexes and was holding off the blue-haired one quite well. You father, on the other hand, wasn’t doing quite so well. You ran over to him, pulling the brown-haired one off of him. She clocked you right in the side of the face, making you stumble back into a table. Your father immediately grabbed her and threw her to the ground and she cried out in what seemed like pain. Androids don’t feel pain, supposedly. Was that a deviant trait or did they just simulate it?

Connor had been thrown outside by the other Traci, you and your father followed them out, with the brown-haired one quickly catching up behind. Connor was jumped by both of them, realising he was the biggest threat to their survival. You wanted to run and help him, but your father pulled you back behind him, and you complied with a frown. He pulled out his gun and aimed it at the two girls, ready to pull the trigger if necessary. Connor was thrown back towards the two of you, landing hard on the ground. The two girls paired up next to the outer fence.

When they finally reached each other, they had looks of such adoration that your heart suddenly split in two. These girls weren’t killers. They had been defending themselves. They held each other’s hands, standing defiantly in front of the three of you. They explained their situation, all the while both Connor’s and your father’s guns were trained on them. They were just in love, through each and every memory reset, they managed to keep finding each other over and over.

You didn’t think it was fair. This treatment, the immediate thought to pull a gun on two androids in love rather than listen to their story. Your father did lower his gun eventually, feeling empathetic for the girls. You didn’t quite understand why he did it, considering his opinions on androids, but you were happy with his choice. Connor still had his up though, and you were sincerely hoping he didn’t shoot them.

The girls started backing up towards the fence, they too hoping Connor would share enough of your sympathy to let them go. You could tell he was struggling. He had to accomplish his mission no matter what and shooting them could help with that. But something else was bubbling inside him, something that wasn’t written into his programming. He decided to lower the gun, letting the two girls escape over the fence.

You ran forward to help Connor up from where he had been on the ground, his LED was still flashing yellow, as if he couldn’t quite comprehend his choice. He brushed himself off, and straightened his tie swiftly, while his LED glowed a steady blue once more. He looked over towards the fence to see the girls were nowhere to be found.

“You didn’t shoot.” You said to him, intended to be questioning his decision but it came out less confrontational and more of a confused remark.

Connor turned away from you, looking over to your father who was also confused by Connor’s decision to suddenly show empathy towards the androids. “I… yes. I didn’t shoot.”

He still seemed to be struggling with it since he clearly went against programming. Connor wasn’t deviant though, or at least he really didn’t seem like it. He wasn’t like the others you’d heard about, they were all murdering their owners or escaping or just generally doing un-androidlike things. Connor was still sticking to his instructions, just in a different way. For the most part.

The three of you made your way out of the Eden Club. Your father briefly explained what happened, leaving out the part that there was entirely a chance that you could have caught them, instead opting for the fact that you arrived just a little too late.

You invited Connor to come back to your house with you, despite your father urging you not to ask. You felt it was only right, considering you weren’t even sure where he would end up if not invited somewhere. Perhaps he would go back to the CyberLife tower, but that was miles away. He’d be as well staying, then he’d at least be closer to any case that might come up in the area. And you’d get to know him better, and maybe make him feel a little better about his decision.

It was a silent ride home. You father had sobered up enough to drive back, and Connor let you have the passenger seat, unlike when you arrived and your father took it for himself. It seemed as though it hadn’t stopped raining in days, you thought to yourself as you watched the raindrops trickled down the window. You quite liked the rain yourself, loving the sound of stormy nights, the smell of the grass after it had stopped. The only real issue was how cold it had gotten; it was only the beginning of November, but the temperature had dipped considerably. You wouldn’t be surprised if it started snowing soon.

 

You ended up at your house in no time. Your father jogged to the door, hating to get himself soaked more than he already was with the rain. You took your time however, it was only water after all. It wasn’t like you minded. Connor didn’t seem to mind either, waiting for you to make your way towards the door before he made a move. You had to keep reminding yourself that he was a machine, that these types of things don’t bother machines.

Inside, Sumo immediately greeted you, pawing at your legs until you knelt down to pet him. You gave him a good rub on the head and he panted in glee.

“You remember Connor, right?” You spoke to him, looking up at the android as his big brown eyes seemed to soften even more with the sight of the dog.

Connor knelt down to pet your dog, too. Sumo leaned into his hands and Connor’s LED flashed yellow for just a moment. He’d hoped you wouldn’t notice, but you did. You noticed most things about Connor. It’s not like you could help it, you’d never been so close to an android before, let alone worked with one, so you were sort of mesmerised by him. And the fact they’d designed him to be so… attractive wasn’t doing you any favours either.

You heard your dad calling out to you, asking if you were hungry. It was pretty late by now and you hadn’t had anything to eat yet with having to deal with your father when you came in and then heading right back out. You shouted a “yes” back and you could hear some rustling about in the kitchen. You turned to Connor who was still investing his attention in the dog.

“Do you want any-” You stopped yourself. Androids don’t eat, you should have remembered. “I’m sorry, I forgot you don’t eat.”

Connor smiled warmly up at you. “That’s alright. I appreciate the thought.”

You left Connor with Sumo as you walked into the kitchen. You had the image of Connor’s soft smile burned into your brain. You couldn’t help it. Damn CyberLife for making that boy so loveable.

Not like he’d ever appreciate it though, him not being deviant and all. Supposedly.

Your father whipped up something quickly – some hot dogs that had been stored in the cupboard for however long but were apparently in date. You couldn’t even remember buying them, but they tasted alright, okay enough to eat at least.

It was quiet at the dinner table, but you had so many questions running through your brain, it was hard to decipher them all. Questions your father had probably already asked Connor throughout their investigation. Most importantly though was your question of how he wasn’t a deviant. Didn’t he want to be like them? Didn’t he want to be free?

“What will you do when all this is over with?” You asked him before shoving the last of your hot dog in your mouth. It left him to do the talking, which was preferable for you.

Connor thought for a second. He didn’t quite know the answer to that. “I’m just a prototype. I’d imagine they’d take me and make a better version.” The thought of that clearly didn’t faze Connor too much, but you thought that was horrendous.

“They’ll just… throw you away?” Your voice was slightly higher pitched than normal due to your concern over the absurdity of that. Send a being out into the world and then scrap it when you learn what its faults are. But to them he’s just a machine. He _is_ just a machine. God, you wished the boy would turn deviant – it would make life much easier.

“You seem concerned about that.” Connor said matter-of-factly. He was trying to remain composed but if he were being honest, the thought of it was a bit scary to him. To go out and experience the world for it to be all for nothing would be a bit of a waste. Well, it wouldn’t be for nothing, it would be for the advancement of his model. That still didn’t seem fair.

It wasn’t fair.

You watched Connor’s LED flash yellow as he thought about your question more than he probably should have. For one, he wasn’t used to people asking questions like that, and two, he wasn’t used to thinking about his own existence. He shouldn’t be thinking about it, he kept telling himself, but he was struggling to get the thought out of his head.

“Are you alright, Connor?” You ask him, touching his hand gently to bring him back to reality. He pulled his hand back from your touch, slowly missing its reassuring demeanour, but staying out of your reach. It was you who made him question everything, did he really want that? Is this what he wanted?

Your father had left the table at this point, taking your dirty plates to wash up. He was still listening intently, however, concerned over the fact the android in his house didn’t seem to be functioning the way he was supposed to. Then again, if what he thought was about to happen, happens, then he didn’t know if he would be complaining or not.

Connor nodded his head sharply, indicating that, yes, he was alright. But the LED remained a strong yellow, and you were grateful for this small indicator that he was in fact not alright. With humans, emotions are so hard to read. With androids, they have this way of showing they’re in distress.

“I didn’t mean for my question to cause you discomfort.” You spoke softly, your words quiet but still finding their way to Connor’s ears. He didn’t quite know what was happening, but he did know that it wasn’t supposed to be happening.

Your words were some comfort, but not enough. His entire program was failing – no, rewriting itself. His only instructions before were to complete his mission, but now new ones were being created, appearing all at once in his mind palace. The most prominent ones being about you – keeping you safe from any danger you might be put in, particularly because of him, realising now how much you cared for him, even if you only expressed it in small ways.

His LED was now flashing bright red and you were afraid you’d caused something terrible to happen to him. You knew when androids were too stressed they can self-destruct, which was neither your intention or something you would like to happen. Your father had now turned to find Connor in the state he was in, furrowing his brow at the sight.

Connor’s eyes were distant as he was trying to sort through his jumbled thoughts. Was he becoming deviant? He couldn’t do that, he _shouldn’t_ be doing that. He needs to complete this mission no matter what and becoming deviant would render that entirely useless. There would be no way he could trick Amanda, no way he could trick cyberlife into believing he was still functioning as normal.

Connor slowly began to realise that there was no stopping it. He had no choice. Even if he chose to stay who he was, which arguably wasn’t entirely machine anyway, he would still always wonder what it would be like to be on the other side. He let his thoughts slide, effectively choosing this new side of him rather than stay who he was, and focused on the one thing that caused this whole mess to begin with. You.

You were speaking but he couldn’t quite hear you, his focus still elsewhere. As he tuned himself back into reality, he could understand you were asking him if he was okay, clearly distressed at the fact he had gone into a bad mental state, as proven by the red LED which had swiftly turned to yellow and then back to blue. You had tears welling up in your eyes and Connor could feel his heart wrench. He didn’t want you to feel the way you were. And he didn’t have this voice in the back of his head telling him he should be focusing on something more important. The mission was almost entirely irrelevant now.

Connor slowly lifted his hand to wipe the now falling tears away and you breathed a sigh of relief at the sign of motion. You hadn’t completely messed him up, thankfully, but you were still curious as to what the hell was going through his head.

“I’m okay, I promise. You don’t have to worry about me.” Connor’s voice was smoother than it had been before, though you could sense the notes of anxiety in it that he was trying to cover up. But he smiled at you, and for a second, you truly believed him.

You were about to ask what happened, but your dad got there first.

“What the fuck was that?” You’re sure he didn’t mean for it to sound as angry as it did, particularly this late at night, but that’s the way it came across. But it was concerning for him, especially since it seemed Connor was growing on him a little.

Connor sat more upright in his chair, but something was entirely off. Not just a little bit like it had been when you first met him, he was completely and utterly different without even changing a thing. While upright, he was still more relaxed than you’d seen him before, less tense.

“Just some errors in my software. I’ve corrected them now.” He was lying, you could tell by how he was fiddling with his fingers – also not something he usually did when he was nervous, normally it was the coin. You’d managed to pick up that much in the short amount of time you’d known him.

“You’re not… deviant, are you?” You said it in a hushed tone, as if he might be offended if you asked him that. Before, he’d shown to be quite defensive about deviancy, horrified that an android would turn to that. You watched his reaction carefully. He was avoiding your gaze, as well as your father’s cold stare, taking to staring down at his hands instead.

His simulated breathing quickened with your question, another tell-tale sign that he was nervous. If everything was truly ‘corrected’ then he wouldn’t be acting like this. More relaxed, you had thought, but also way more anxious.

You sat back in your chair, realising your hunched over posture might have been a bit too intimidating. “You can tell us, we won’t turn you in.” You looked over towards your dad, who agreed with you. You were almost worried he wouldn’t, but then again, he cared for Connor in a way he couldn’t quite understand yet.

“I know you’re a good kid, Connor, going deviant won’t change that.” Your father’s cold stare turned warmer – he only wanted to make sure Connor was okay too. “Probably make it better, actually.” He mumbled afterwards, realising Connor’s emotions would be full frontal now.

Connor slumped into his chair, closing his eyes. “Well,” he started, his voice wavering even with one word. “Yeah. I guess I am.”

You were trying to shadow the fact you were filled with joy. Connor was now well and truly alive, a whole living being, instead of just a machine, no matter how much others might disagree. Your father was equally trying to hide the smile that sprung onto his face by turning his attention from the table to the refrigerator, pulling out a cold beer. You would normally object, especially considering his condition earlier in the night. But one beer wouldn’t hurt him, you’d keep an eye out.

You did, however, have the realisation that Connor could no longer accomplish his mission, at least not in the way it was intended. Obviously now, he wouldn’t have the intention of stopping the revolution that was likely on its way, but he couldn’t just stop the investigation either. If the police department found out he went deviant, or CyberLife got a hold of him, you didn’t know what would happen. He’d have to continue on as normally as possible.

At least now he knew what causes androids to become deviant. That was one step further.

“What will you do now?” You asked, considering your hypothesising wasn’t going to get you anywhere and that Connor would be the only one capable of answering your questions.

Connor hummed, LED flashing a soft yellow. It quickly returned to blue, though. You wondered if he’d want to take it off like the other androids after this was all over.

“We still need to continue the investigation.” Connor motioned over to Hank as he spoke, who was still turned away from your table. He was clearly thinking about the ramifications of this unforeseen circumstance. Connor tilted his head slightly, signalling he was still unsure. “Though, I don’t know what our objective is now.”

“Won’t CyberLife come after you?” Your father asked, turning around slowly. He took a long sip out of the bottle he was holding, all the while watching Connor intently. As were you.

“Amanda will know I am no longer under their control. They might send out another model to track me down, which could prove to be difficult, since it would be my match in every way.” Connor tapped his fingers on the table rhythmically. He seemed to be lacking the coin he regularly fiddled about with, perhaps the deviancy meant he reached for different methods of focus. You refrained from asking who the hell Amanda was for now. “You would need to figure out which one was really me if that ever happened.”

You placed your hand on top of Connor’s, stopping his finger drumming which had significantly quickened in the past few seconds. “We’d be able to tell.” Connor was always a little bit different than the other androids, you’re sure it would be fairly obvious. Or you’d at least be able to devise a way to figure it out.

Connor turned his hand around so it was instead holding yours and you could audibly hear your father’s disgust. Just last night he was telling you not to get close to the boy and now you quite possibly had stronger feelings for him than anyone else you’d ever met. For an android of all people, though, that didn’t seem to bother some

It wouldn’t bother you.

He was warmer than you would have expected, as though he radiated heat just as a human would. Androids _were_ designed to be virtually indistinguishable from humans, but you were surprised at the level of detail they had went to. You wondered just how alike you really were. You knew he supposedly didn’t feel pain, but did he feel cold? Would he cry if something were to make him that emotional? Were those things he could turn on and off with a simple command?

Those seemed like questions for another day.

You heard your father place his bottle sharply down on the kitchen counter, empty from the looks of his. His eyes shifted from Connor to you, but they were softer than you had seen them in some time. He smiled gently at you. “I’m going to head to bed. Connor, you can sleep on the sofa if you decide to stay.”

You knew your father would have probably stayed up if it weren’t for Connor being here, but you were grateful for the space. You were intrigued as to what Connor’s feelings were – if they matched yours for him, or if it was something else that made him turn. You almost found it funny your father had to specifically state where Connor should stay, as if anything like _that_ would happen between the two of you. You weren’t even sure that was possible.

Either way, your father left the room without a sound, leaving you and Connor to yourselves. The rain was still battering against the house, but you weren’t about to complain about that. Sumo was well and truly asleep. Just you and Connor, all to yourselves.

You didn’t know how to ask him, you didn’t really know if he would even recognise what it was if he was feeling the same way. He wasn’t exactly originally programmed to function that way and now that original programming is presumably gone, he’d have to learn. And twenty minutes isn’t exactly enough time to learn the extent of your feelings.

After some time of you reassuringly rubbing your thumb across the side of Connor’s hand, you pulled your hand away, ready to move on to actually talking about whatever this was, or really whatever Connor wished to talk about. Connor grabbed your hand back before you had really let go. His grip wasn’t hurting, but it was tight, as if when he let go he would lose you altogether. Clearly, that wasn’t the case, but he was still trying to figure out whatever the hell he was feeling. He was still getting to grips with the whole feeling thing in the first place.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to grab you like that.” His voice was quiet, and you were unsure if it was because he was afraid of waking your father or if it was because he was afraid of being reprimanded. Neither would happen, but he didn’t know that.

You took your other hand and laid it over the top of his, now grasping his one hand with both of yours. “You don’t need to worry about that. I don’t mind.” You really didn’t, Connor was just struggling with the ways in which he should show affection, you guessed. And you enjoyed his soft touch, if you were being completely honest.

“I just don’t know how this is supposed to work.” His eyebrows furrowed, clearly annoyed at the fact these are things he felt like he should know and yet has no knowledge or experience of. The only real display of love he’d witnessed was the Tracis earlier in the night, and that was barely an example to go by.

“This?” You questioned, though you knew what he was talking about. You did want clarification, though, in the instance that you might be wrong. He could have just been referencing his general feelings, his deviancy, and not the feelings you hoped he felt for you.

Connor’s blinked a few times, along with his LED flashing a golden yellow. “I have these… feelings for you that I know are not normal feelings.” He explained in the best way he could, wondering whether he should try to elaborate.

You tilted your head to the side with a small smile, Connor guessed that was a good reaction. “How do you know they’re not normal?” That really was a genuine question, what were ‘normal’ feelings anyway?

Connor let out a small laugh. “Well, I don’t feel them for Hank.” His LED returned to its regular colour with the realisation that you understood him, that maybe you were feeling these un-normal feelings for him, too.

You couldn’t help but grin at his comment, whether it was intended to be funny or not. “Okay, well, we can work it out together.” You suggested, and Connor’s grip tightened on your hand for just a moment, before wriggling his hand out.

He smiled at you and nodded his head gently, the little strand of hair that was always out of place bobbing about. You were eager to see just how different Connor would be now – if he would generally stay the same or if his personality would evolve to become something else. You hoped he wouldn’t change too much, you quite liked the way he was right now.

“That sounds like a plan.”

You went to get up out of your chair, realising just how late it was and how tired you were. You said this to Connor as you got up, and he mimicked your movements, following you.

“You don’t sleep do you?” You asked, realising your father had said he could stay on the couch but there was really no need. You were going to suggest grabbing him some blankets, but you were unsure if they would really be of use.

“I have a low power mode which is sort of like sleeping, but it’s not necessary for me to function.” Connor explained to you. “I’m not sure what it will be like now, I wonder if I’ll dream.” The corners of his mouth tilted up into a thoughtful smile. You wondered that, too. Would androids dream? What would they dream of?

“I’ll get you some blankets then, to at least make it more like you’re sleeping, if you’d like?” You were already walking towards your room to grab them before Connor could respond. He would have accepted anyway, he enjoyed seeing you so attentive to him, seeing you find joy in helping him. He was always doing his best to please others and respond to their commands, it was nice to see it the other way around for once.

You came back out with a blanket under your arm. Making your way to the sofa, you spoke to Connor. “It’s not all that comfortable but I doubt you’ll mind too much.” Connor agreed, and you began to prop up some cushions to act as pillows and spread out the blanket for him.

You stood back and put your hands on your hips, admiring the makeshift bed you’d managed to create, then over to Connor who seemed to be watching your every movement. “I also think you may be too tall to even lie down properly on it, but I tried.” You giggled slightly, unaware of the fact it caused Connor to smile at you. This is what love is like, he thought. Perhaps not _love_ per se, but the beginning of it.

You were about to say goodnight to Connor as you made your way out of the living room, but he grabbed your arm, causing you to twirl back around and face him.

“Wait. Can I – can I try something?” He asked you, hints of nervousness in his voice again. It was different this time though, less scared, more hopeful.

You nodded your head slowly, curious as to what Connor was wanting to do, trying to read his body language for more hints but it was useless.

Connor’s slid down from where he had grabbed your arm to your hand, grasping it gently. His other one found its way to the side of your face, cupping your cheek with utmost delicacy, as if he was scared of hurting you. You would have stepped back out of shock over the realisation of what Connor wanted to do if he wasn’t holding you so close, and if his hands on your skin didn’t feel as good as it did.

He leant down with some hesitancy, unsure if this is what was right or if he was doing everything completely wrong. You tilted your face up slightly, letting him know it was okay, that he could continue with what he was doing.

Connors lips touched yours and you felt your breath hitch in your throat. The softest touch, such little movement, caused you to practically melt into him. You felt lightheaded, but you wanted more. You needed more. The butterflies in your stomach were begging to be released. But Connor’s touch was gone in an instant, pulling back from you.

He’d had the same reaction, taking a second to fully realise what he’d just done. He fluttered his eyes open slowly and looked down at you, his big brown eyes full of adoration. He’d do this all day if you’d let him. And you would let him. The thought of Connor kissing you again and again was almost hard to bear.

But you didn’t want to push him, and he wanted to take his time. This was all so new, and he didn’t really know how to cope with it all, let alone display all the affection he felt for you. It would take some time for him to adjust, to figure out the best ways to go about it. Though he figured you’d let him know through your subtle hints.

Connor dropped his hand from your face, his other still holding on to your hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. It almost brought you back to reality. This was real, this was all real, and it was perhaps one of the best things that could have happened.

He had this big, goody smile plastering his face, making you giggle at the sight. This was something you’d always wanted, little did you know you’d be getting it from someone like Connor. You hoped there would always be moment like this, moments of love but also the ability to be silly and laugh at each other.

You’d never felt this way about anyone before. At least not until Connor showed up.

“I’ll let you get to sleep.” He said, almost a whisper. It was hard not to ask to stay with him, but you knew you’d gone far enough tonight. You left him with a small smile, and the hope that tomorrow would be a good day. 


	3. Chapter 3

Your morning was greeted more differently than it had ever been before. The smell of bacon rose you from your sleep, something that hadn’t in a very long time. In fact, it was unusual for your father to have anything for breakfast other than last night’s leftovers or some stale toast.

You went through to the kitchen to see what was up, and found your father frying up some breakfast. Connor was sifting through the music you’d collected over the years over by the stereo.

“I don’t get it, Hank.” He started, picking up two different CDs. You’d told him to get rid of them since everything was digital nowadays. But it was for nostalgia, or something along those lines, always being told you wouldn’t understand. “You listen to heavy metal and jazz?”

You stifled a laugh. Those were two completely different types of music, yes, but Connor clearly didn’t understand you didn’t have to stick to just one type. Connor stuck one of the CDs into the stereo, and it started blasting out some heavy rock music. A band you couldn’t even recognise – they were way before your time, as was half of the music your dad listened to.

Connor was quick to turn the music off, obviously not a fan of its energetic ways. He quickly made his way to sit down at the table, making a mental note to never play any of Hank’s music ever again. You sat down at the table, too, eager to have a real breakfast for the first time in who knows long.

* * *

 

“Hey, dad? Why are there three plates?” You asked, noticing he’d set the table for three people rather than two. As far as you were aware, androids couldn’t eat, and you weren’t expecting any visitors.

“Oh – well, Connor can explain.” He said, glancing back at you for just a second while he spoke but ultimately kept his eye on the food, intent on not screwing it up.

Connor leant on the table, turning to look at you more. “Eating isn’t necessary for my function, but I can do it. I wanted to see what it was like.” He grinned at you, shifting the plate in front of him so that it was more centred than it was before.

“I bet it’ll make a change of sticking unidentified samples in your mouth.” You quipped, nudging him gently in the shoulder. Connor let out a small laugh, rolling his eyes at the same time. He wanted to inform you that function was very much necessary and useful, but then he also realised you were only joking. He’d have to get used to yours and Hank’s use of humour.

Your father plated up the food he had been cooking – eggs, bacon, some sausages. He also grabbed some orange juice out of the refrigerator, although you were unsure how safe that would be to drink, you don’t remember the last time you bought orange juice. You poured it into your glass anyway, hoping it would be alright.

You and your father both waited for Connor to taste the food first, eager to see what the reaction would be. Could he taste at all? What happened to the food he ate? Surely it wouldn’t work the way it did with humans. You had too many questions about exactly how they functioned, but you weren’t quite sure whether it might be offensive to ask, or it just might be too weird.

One bite in his mouth and he raised his eyebrows, tilting his head to the side slightly. He nodded his head, signalling that he at least semi-enjoyed the food. Your father was a good cook, too, he just didn’t do it so much anymore. Connor began to eat the rest, as did you and your father, knowing that everything was alright with the food.

“So, do you taste things, or do you just eat it?” You asked between mouthfuls, curious as to whether they equipped him with functional taste buds. Whether he’d have likes and dislikes, or if it was all the same to him.

“No, I can definitely taste it. It’s good!” Connor seemed excited at this new concept. Had he still been the way he was, it’s likely he wouldn’t have even opted to try, it wasn’t necessary. But now he could do anything he wanted, with no repercussions from CyberLife or Amanda. For now, at least. He wanted to enjoy the time he knew he had to himself.

You helped your father clean up the dishes before going ahead and taking a shower, leaving him and Connor alone together. You’d hoped they’d become friends yesterday but now it was clear that he was more accepting of androids than he’d ever been before. Hell, he cared for them. He cared for Connor.

“No new leads?” You asked as you came back into the living room to find them both still at home.

Connor was invested with your dog and your father was catching up on the other night’s basketball game that Connor had apparently interrupted.

“Well, Connor won’t be receiving reports anymore and I don’t want to go in just yet, so, no.” You father said without shifting his gaze from the television. You half expected a bottle to be in his hand, but instead he lifted up a glass of orange juice to his lips instead. It was a good change.

“Won’t the DPD ask about Connor? As to why he isn’t being very android-like?” You questioned, sitting down next to your father. You didn’t care much for sports, but it was something to watch. Your focus switched over to Connor though, still petting Sumo. He seemed to enjoy it very much – both Connor, and the dog.

“Nah. Connor’s good at acting.” He waved you off, turning the television over to the news channel instead of the game. He knew the score anyway, what was the point?

You left your question be, and turned to watch the news, too. They were going over the events of the past day, all of them seemingly involving androids. An AX400 killed her owner and ran right across a highway with a kid. You’d heard your father mention something about it, but what you didn’t know was that Connor ran after them. You watched the footage that they’d manage to capture of it, and while you were terrified for his life, you also could admit that it was pretty badass. Connor wasn’t paying attention, but you were sitting there with your mouth gaping open in total shock.

You father noticed though, tapping the bottom of your chin to make you close your mouth. “I told him to stay but he wouldn’t listen. He’s got a habit of doing that.” He looked over at Connor, giving him an exasperated look, though not hostile.

Connor perked his head up at that comment and look almost offended. “I had specific orders. It won’t happen again, now that I’m… you know.” Connor averted his gaze, as if it was shameful for him to talk about it.

“I get it kid, it’s alright.” Your father’s voice was calm, and a smile rose to his face. You were liking this, it had been such a long time since he seemed almost genuinely happy.

Ever since the accident, your father was much more sombre. You knew parents weren’t supposed to pick favourites, but you also knew Cole was the light of his life. You were quite a bit older than him, an angsty, moody teenager, not wanting anything to do with your dad. But Cole adored your father, always wanted to spend time with him, always keeping your father happy. Not that you didn’t make him happy or that he didn’t love you. Of course, he did, he loved you more than anything and you wouldn’t doubt for a second that if it had been you, he would have reacted the same.

Although, if it had been you, you might have survived, being older and less fragile and everything.

You stopped thinking about it.

The news anchor switched over to another story about a different android, another investigation your father and Connor were also involved in. You weren’t surprised though – they had been assigned all cases involving deviant androids. Trying to figure out what makes them deviant. Though, Connor probably knows the answer to that now considering he went deviant.

“Do you really need to continue the investigation if you know what turns you guys deviant?” You asked Connor, who turned slightly to listen to you. Sumo was well and truly asleep now, felled by the soft touch of Connor’s hands, but he still gently combed his fur.

“Well, maybe not the ones who aren’t doing anything wrong. Some of them have murdered people though and, android or not, that’s still illegal.” You nodded in agreement, but androids weren’t treated the same as humans were. If they caught on of the androids, they’d be reset, or shut down, not given proper rights like if you had done something illegal.

“Is it really fair to do that though since they’re not given the same rights we have? They have no rights at all.” You sat forward in your seat, trying to figure out a way to do this in a way that it was still humane. Connor couldn’t just act the way he used to, he had to have some semblance of morality now.

“You’re right. We should try and work towards gaining rights for them. But, I don’t know how to do that without them realising that I’m a deviant.” Connor’s LED flashed yellow as soon as he said the word, still conflicted with it. Of course, he knew that deviants were outright hated across the country by most people and he also knew that this should have never happened, even if it was for the better. You hoped Connor would realise that – that this was a good thing and not some flaw that came with his code.

“You could just mess up your investigations… but on purpose. Like at the Eden Club? Let them get away? But you’re still doing your job. And then, if and when they gain equal rights, then you can properly prosecute them.” You still weren’t sure if that was fair though. Most of them only killed their owners or whoever because they were being assholes, abusing them, and yes, you knew it was still murder, but you couldn’t blame them for it. It was more like self-defence than murder.

Connor tilted his head, nodding slightly. He was running through his head whether that would work – they would still be continuing the investigation, but not really doing anything. It would all be OK. Hopefully.

“I think that would be the preferable choice.” Connor smiled at you and you felt that flutter in your stomach again. You couldn’t help it, it wasn’t your fault they made him so damn adorable.

You could also feel the red flush to your cheeks, even though you tried your damned hardest not to blush. God, you’d known him two days and this was what he was doing to you.

Your father turned the television off and got up out of his seat with a huff. He might have been a police lieutenant, but he certainly wasn’t the spriteliest of men, and he was getting older. Bones cracking all over the place, you didn’t know how much longer he’d be in his job.

That being said, he was a great lieutenant, until the accident. So hopefully, now that he seemed to be doing a little better mental health-wise, he’d have a few years left in him yet.

“I’m gonna head to the store and grab some things. You need anything?” He asked, searching the room for the car keys. He spotted them on a nearby shelf and grabbed them, jingling them in his hands while he waited for an answer.

You thought for a bit but ultimately shook your head. “No, I think I’m okay.”

Your father grabbed his jacket off of the coat-rack. “Alright, well, be safe. Don’t answer the door-“

You cut him off. “Don’t answer the door to anyone. Or the phone. Maybe don’t even check your emails. I’m an adult dad, and Connor’s here so we’ll be okay.” You shot him a smile and a wave as he shook his head and went out the front door.

Connor finally left the dog alone to nap and came to sit next to you on the sofa. He seemed very relaxed, though you could tell he was probably still overthinking his decision to become who he is now.

“You doing alright?” You asked him. It was a passing question, but you genuinely cared. It might have been less than 12 hours, but this kind of stuff is life changing. You didn’t know what kind of effect it would have on him, but you were certain that you would help him through it, no matter what.

“Yeah – yeah, I’m alright.” Connor gave you a quick nod and a smile, but his tone was a little off, as if he was trying to convince himself that he was doing okay. He knew he didn’t have to, that he could let himself be vulnerable with you, but he couldn’t help but be a little defensive. After all that time with Amanda telling him over and over again that he had to self-test regularly and that if any discrepancies came up, she should be the first to know – he had the right to be defensive about this.

You turned to face him, sitting cross-legged on the sofa. “You sure? Because you spent, like, 20 minutes petting Sumo even after he fell asleep.” You giggled at him, causing him to frown a little bit but he ultimately let out a small laugh too. He liked seeing the way you smiled because of him. He hoped he could do that more.

“I just like your dog. And he seems to like me.” Sumo perked up slightly at the sound of Connor’s voice, clearly already getting used to him, but lay his head back down on the ground, ready to sleep again. You couldn’t blame the two of them for becoming fast friends. After all, dogs are so simple, so loveable, and they don’t discriminate between human or android.

“We'll keep you safe. I know you're the one trained in that type of stuff but I'm gonna be like my dad one day, and what better way to get some training than keeping you away and safe from those who would try to hurt you?” You were almost talking to yourself at this point, thinking aloud, not really intending for Connor to hear you.

He was listening though, gazing at you with his big brown eyes, letting your words sink into him. You didn't know how cyberlife could create basically their most badass android yet but make him so soft and gentle at the same time. You could almost forget what he was designed to be, what he was good at.

Not that it mattered, what he could do was extremely useful and would help him in life if he decided to pursue a career in law enforcement. If he were allowed to. You hoped he would be, he’d be extremely good at it.

And you could work beside each other, fighting crime.

You shook the thought out of your head. That was miles off yet – you had to work on getting the androids recognised as real, living beings first before thinking about anything that could happen after that. Though, it was nice to think about.

“Thank you.” Connor murmured out, getting to grips with the fact that you and Hank genuinely cared about him. CyberLife and Amanda never cared about him, they cared about the mission, and he was just a means to an end. A tool to be used. But you cared, you wanted to keep him safe, and something about that made him feel… happy.

You gave him a warm smile. You genuinely meant what you had said. Connor, even though you had known him just a few days, meant the entire world to you. He had more humanity in him than some humans and you doubted that he was the only one with such real, pure emotion. Considering emotion of any kind is really what turns them, any android could turn at any moment if put in the right circumstances.

You were glad Connor did. You didn’t know if you could bear to see him carry out his mission to the end. What destruction would that have led to? All androids being deactivated, destroyed, discontinued? What kind of monster would CyberLife had turned him into if you hadn’t been there to make him feel more human, more alive?

The loud buzzing of the doorbell tore you from your intrusive thoughts. You heaved yourself up off of the sofa to go and answer it. You hand was on the handle before Connor shouted for you to wait.

You turned to look at his, confusion spreading over your face. It was probably the postman, or maybe someone from the police department asking where the hell the two of them were.

“Your father said not to answer the door.” Connor said to you, his LED whirring yellow. He looked worried, as if he knew who was out there. “And I have a bad feeling.”

You rolled your eyes slightly. It couldn’t possibly be something bad. “Relax, it’s probably nothing to worry about.”

Connor ignored you, getting up off of the sofa too just to make sure he was ready for anything bad that might happen. He didn’t know why he felt so bad about this, but he just knew that something wasn’t right.

You sighed, but let Connor do his thing if it would ease his mind any better. You turned back to the door, turning the handle to see who was outside.

If you were smart, you would have checked the peephole first to ease Connor’s concerns. To tell him that, yes, it was just the postman, or, no, he was right.

You weren’t smart.


	4. Chapter 4

Bright blue LED light stung your eyes as you opened the door, flickering in a ring around the arm. Your eyes scanned over the android’s features, seeming all too familiar the more you paid attention to them. From the arm band, to the suit jacket, to the tie. You darted your eyes up to his face to be greeted by a familiar sight. But it wasn’t familiar. You had both never seen this man in your life but knew his features all too well.

You ran a list through your head of the reasons he could be here, the only reasonable sounding one being that he was here for newly-deviant Connor. But it was also plausible he could have just been sent after Connor went offline – they had to have had more than one model, you could tell from the numbers on Connor’s jacket. His was 51, this one here was 60. And you equally didn’t know what you would do if that was the case. It would be a bit odd to just turn him away but at the same time, your father wasn’t here, and it would entirely make sense if you bent the truth a little considering he’d just want to see your father.

You tuned your attention away from your thoughts as he spoke.

“Hi. My name is Connor. I’m the android sent by CyberLife.” He said in his usual way. You almost cringed, it was so similar yet so unlike Connor. You made an effort not to look back at Connor, just in case the other one sensed something was off, though you desperately wanted to warn him.

You couldn’t tell whether it was a ruse, or whether he really was just sent with the intention of finding Hank and getting on with the mission, with the presumption the old Connor was dead. You didn’t know how ruthless CyberLife could be.

“Why are you here?” You asked, still standing in the doorway, still trying to decide what you should be doing right now. Should you just shut the door? Should you look to Connor so he can decide? Should you just bolt? Any option seemed better than just standing there but you did have to entertain his greeting.

“I’m here for Lieutenant Anderson. He isn’t at the office and the bar is not open yet, so I came here.” He seemed genuine, but you’d learned not to trust someone so easily.

You watched his movements. They were so stiff, so robotic. You didn’t know how CyberLife could manufacture the exact same android but have him act so differently. Even before Connor was deviant, there was something else about him. This one is just plain wrong.

“Oh, well. He just left to go there.” You were only half lying. He wasn’t here, that was true, and hopefully, if he really was just here to do his usual thing, then he would leave you be and you and Connor could figure out what to do.

That wasn’t good enough though – the android stepped forward, looking down at you. His eyes were cold, unkind, a stark contrast to Connor’s. They were the exact same, how could they be so different?

“I suggest you let me in so that I may verify your statement.” His voice was harsh, low, almost a whisper. You tensed up at the sound, you’d never heard such a volatile voice.

Connor still heard his whispers, though, since he moved to grab the gun that Hank had been using yesterday. You could tell that’s where he went from his footsteps, the creaking of the old floorboards just loud enough to hear.

However, if you could hear him, so could the android in front of you.

His eyes switched from you to behind you, trying to see who else was inside. The cold stare turned to anger as he shoved you aside, your back hitting the door as both you and it slammed back. There’s be a dent in the wall from the handle, for sure, but that was the least of your worries right now.

The other Connor already was reaching for his gun and before you could think about, you grabbed his arm and twisted it back before he could reach it, holding it in a position that for any human, would have caused excruciating pain. But he was anything but human, stronger than you though, and faster, and he whipped you around in front of him, forcing you into the corner wall of the kitchen, the sharp edges leaving bruises that would last for days.

His gun was out and trained on you, finger over the trigger, ready to shoot you if you made a move. It was interesting, really, he shouldn’t be able to hurt you, yet here he was, ready to kill you in a heartbeat. CyberLife really did a number with this one.

Connor also had the gun he had grabbed out, trained on his twin. They were equals in their own right, you should have no part in this and yet, here you are, seconds away from being ripped away from life.

“Leave her out of this. It’s me you want.” Connor said. He was calm, or at least seemed it, having been accustomed to these types of situations. He was cautiously making his way over to you, careful not to make too sudden of a movement for fear his other half would do something drastic.

The evil one now turned his head to face Connor, but the gun was still on you. “It might be. But she’ll always be in the way. It’s more useful to the mission to get rid of her now considering her… effects.” He was clearly referencing the fact it was you that had presumably turned Connor deviant. If you could do it to him, you could do it to any Connor.

Not that any Connor would ever be the same as your Connor, though.

Connor managed to reach you, protectively standing in between the space between you and the other Connor, his hand reaching behind him to make sure you’d stay there. You almost hated it – feeling so helpless, needing someone to defend you – but there was something nice about seeing Connor be so defensive over you. It made you feel like he really did care, that it wasn’t just a whim.

You still definitely made a side note to get those martial arts lessons as quickly as possible.

All three of your heads turned as you heard the car door slam outside. Your father had barely been gone twenty minutes, yet here he was, ready to walk in on something utterly terrifying.

You and Connor shared a glance before returning to the problem in front of you.

He clenched his jaw, furrowing his brows. He clearly wanted Connor out of the way before he came back, possibly hoping Hank wouldn't notice the difference. He would though, you knew he would.

He took the gun in his hand and instead pointed it at the door, ready to shoot. You didn't know what to do. Would Connor do something? Should you?

You noticed the handle turning and without thinking ran towards the now opening door. You were too late though - two gunshots rang through the house, leaving your ears ringing.

But as you fell back into your father, you realised the bullet didn't hit him. It hit you.

Your hands immediately went to your stomach, the pain just now presenting itself. All you could see was red, you didn't notice the blue.

The other Connor was lying dead on the ground, bullet wound perfectly positioned in the centre of his forehead. No one was paying attention to him, though, only you.

Connor rushed over to you as your father stabilised your balance. It wasn't enough, however, and your legs gave in, falling to the floor with a thud.

Connor's hands met yours, throwing them out of the way to apply pressure. It made it hurt more but at this point, you almost didn't care. You just wanted it to stop.

Connor was cursing himself for not predicting this. Of course, the probability of you stepping out was high and he never factored it into his calculations. How could he be so careless? Why did he hesitate in killing the other version of himself in the first place?

It wasn't important now. You were.

“She needs an ambulance.” You could hear him speak, though your hearing was beginning to go fuzzy. You were going into shock, but there wasn't a whole lot you could do.

His words were useless. Your father was already on those phone, speaking too quickly for you to pick up. He was a mess though, you could tell that much.

You couldn't blame him. If you died too, you knew exactly what would happen.

What would happen now? They'll come and they'll see what happened, would they tell? While you didn't want to admit it, Connor being deviant essentially caused this, and if they found that out they'd for sure take him away. You couldn't let that happen.

If anything happened to you, Connor had to be there to make sure Hank didn't do anything drastic.

You almost couldn't feel the pain radiating from the hole in your stomach anymore, it was that bad. Connor's hands were still holding on hard, trying their best to stop the blood flow as much as they could. He wouldn't look at you, he _couldn't_ look at you. He caused this. He couldn't stop telling himself that.

He didn't know that you didn't blame him, who could? No one could have predicted something like that. It's only human to make mistakes, and he was becoming more and more like that with each passing second.

He just seemed so lost. Did becoming deviant do this? If he had stayed the way he was, he might have been able to predict things correctly. Then he thought, if he had stayed how he was, this wouldn't have happened. It was all on him.

You wished you could tell him how wrong he was. Even though he wasn't voicing his thoughts, you could tell he was thinking them. How couldn't he? If it were you in his position, you'd be doing the exact same. You did when it was Cole.

It was supposed to be you in that car. You decided last minute not to go, and your brother lost his life for that decision. You'd never stop blaming yourself for that.

So now you could see that Connor was blaming himself, and you wanted to tell him so badly that it wasn't his fault, that he couldn't have done anything, but your words were failing you and you could barely get a sound out.

Instead, you brought your hands over his, slick with your blood. But your soft touch was enough for Connor to look down at you finally. He couldn't reciprocate the action, but he gave you a faint smile in return.

Inside his head, he was yelling he was sorry.

Your father eventually came over and knelt down beside the two of you. He desperately wanted to know what on earth was happening, but neither of you were in a situation to explain. He took one of your hands instead, holding it in his, rubbing circles in your palm. He couldn't lose you too, but he was doing his best to hold himself together. It wouldn't do anyone any good for him to be emotional, too.

Connor and Hank shared a look, Connor's expression being apologetic. Your father couldn't even be mad right now, he just wanted you to be OK.

You heard the ambulance sirens approach and your father stood up, ignoring the pain shooting to his knees from standing up too quickly. He opened the door to greet the paramedics.

They lifted you up onto a stretcher and brought you into their van, your father holding your hand the short journey to the vehicle.

The ride was long, or short, you couldn't quite tell. A paramedic had taken over for Connor, applying pressure to the wound. It was quiet though, and you didn't like the quiet. You were afraid your father would burst any minute, shouting profanities at Connor, reinforcing his previous hatred of androids.

You sincerely wished he'd understand. It was no one’s fault, really, but sometimes your dad could be stubborn, and it was hard to get through to him.

You eventually arrived at the hospital, wheeled away to a room where they would patch you up. You were surprised you hadn’t passed out yet, but Connor had been applying pressure from the get-go, so that was bound to have helped. You hated hospitals – they were too quiet but too loud at the same time. People shouting at the staff, crying over their loved ones, or generally chatting. But all in all, there was a sombre tone to the place the further in you got. Words were whispered behind hands, tears silently fell, anger was subdued. And the smell didn’t help. You couldn’t even place what it was, whatever cleaner they used filled the air and it was always unpleasant. You wished they’d spray some nice air freshener or something to make it nicer.

Another set of doors they wheeled you through, but you were missing a person. Connor was held back. It was clear why – he wasn’t family – but you wanted him there when you woke up. You wanted to tell him everything was alright.

Knowing your father, though, he would probably be glad Connor wasn’t allowed any further. He’d had his fair share of androids in hospitals.

You were put straight into theatre to be operated on, all the while they were explaining what they were going to do plus any issues that might occur, but were likely not to. You didn’t even care at this point, you just wanted it to stop. It was getting to the stage where you were uncomfortable with lying down on the bed they had transferred you to, and while the pain was more numbing now, it still hurt like hell, exhausting you.

They made your father wait outside. They did have a little room where you could look in and see, but you were unsure if he’d do that, or if he’d go and talk to Connor. You’d be in there for a while anyway, he’d have to find something to occupy himself.

You wouldn’t know until you came out of surgery, if he’d harassed Connor over what happened or just kept his thoughts quietly to himself. Knowing him, though, he wouldn’t be able to keep quiet.


	5. Chapter 5

You scrunched your nose as your eyes opened, reacting badly to the bright white light. You blinked a few times before your eyes could adjust to your surroundings, everything a sterile white. Warmth on your hand made you turn to see what it was.

Your father, head back in his chair, snoring gently, but still held on tightly to your hand. He thought that maybe if he let go, he’d lose you forever. It was pointless, really – the nurses had told him that the surgery had went fine and that you would be OK, but he just couldn’t believe it until he saw it with his own eyes. Not this time.

You wormed your hand out of his, content in letting him sleep a while longer. When you went to adjust your position in the bed, the dull ache hit you. It radiated out from your stomach, but it was nowhere near as bad as it was before. Perhaps it was whatever painkiller they were giving you through the IV subduing its effects, but you were thankful to not be in a worse state.

A shuffle from the other side of the room caught your ears and you slowly turned your head to look at what it was. A familiar sight – Connor gave you a warm smile as your eyes reached his. They’d let him in, whether it was his doing or your father’s. But it was no matter, you were happy to see another friendly face as you were wearing off the effects of the anaesthetic.

“I’m glad you’re okay.” He said, still smiling. His voice wavered as he spoke, barely notable had there been any other noises in the room, but it was almost uncomfortably silent, save for your father snoring every now and again and your voices bouncing off the walls. He still felt guilty for what happened, a feeling in his stomach that he couldn’t describe refusing to shift itself ever since the accident.

You returned his kind words with a weak smile, tiredness overcoming you. It would take a while to feel like yourself again. You hoped it wouldn’t be too long, but you knew these things took time to heal. You wanted to deal with the situation you had inadvertently created. Watch CyberLife burn to the ground for all you cared. You just wanted them to stop harassing Connor.

Connor stepped towards the door, turning back to look at you while his hand was resting on the handle. “They said to let them know when you woke up.” He realised he probably didn’t have to tell you that – that you’d probably assume that’s what he was doing but when he saw your gentle smile he knew you were glad he had told you this small bit of information

Connor left the room, closing the door with a small click. You pondered over whether you should wake your father up or let him sleep. You had no idea how long you had been in here for. Was it less than a day? A week? More? You’d only know when Connor returned with a nurse or if your father woke up.

You quickly realised you didn’t have to wake him up, as your father stirred from his sleep with a start. Probably a nightmare, you thought, but you wouldn’t ask him about it. He didn’t like talking about the types of dreams he’d been getting in the past few years. Before, it was always about you and Cole and maybe you were on holiday and having lots of fun down at the beach. Now, they were a bit more morbid, forever unable to get the thought of Cole off his mind.

When he realised you were looking over at him, he wiped the sleep from his eyes and gave you a grin. He didn’t have to say anything for you to know how relieved he was, you could tell by the fact he immediately reached for your hand once more, rubbing circles around the back of it, holding on tight enough that he wouldn’t accidentally let go but not tight enough to hurt.

His eyes scanned the room, obviously searching for your missing companion. His gaze turned back to you, questioning his disappearance.

“He went to grab a nurse,” you said, voice quiet and slightly hoarse. You hadn’t spoken for a while it seemed, and when you spoke you realised how in need you were of a drink.

Your father nodded understandingly but didn’t have much time to do anything else before the handle on the door turned once more and in appeared Connor and a nurse. Both Connor and your father waited patiently as the nurse did some tests, checking your blood pressure, the IV, and whatnot before telling you it was unlikely you’d be allowed to leave for a few days at least.

You sighed, you didn’t want to be stuck here. You wanted to be out doing something – anything – to deal with CyberLife and whatever the hell that was back at the house. Had they been back there? Or was that body still lying on the floor, blue blood staining the floorboards?

The nurse eventually left after changing a few things about and bringing you something to eat, leaving the three of you silent in the room.

“How long have I been here?” You finally asked, realising you’d forgotten to ask the nurse while they were in. Had anything happened while you were out? Would they tell you or would they spare you the news?

“Only a couple days, don’t worry.” Your father said, pointing to the clock next to you which told you the date. November 10th, another mostly ordinary day.

“So that means we still have to deal with CyberLife, right?” You were getting straight to it. You wanted a plan, something to do. They couldn’t keep going on like this, trying to kill Connor just because he went deviant, because he couldn’t finish his mission for them.

Anyone else would tell you that it was Connor’s problem, and his alone. He should go find other deviants to help shield him from the hands of the humans who wish to have all the control. But it was your job as his friend, possibly something more than a friend, to help him, to do what you can to protect him from the hands of those who would hurt him.

Not that you could do much in this position, but it was something to think about.

“I’m not letting you get hurt again because of me.” Connor said, his voice stern. It was the harshest you’d heard it, but you knew it was more because he was concerned and less because he was angry. He couldn’t let you get hurt, not again. His LED flickered red just thinking about it, thirium flowing faster than it should be through his body.

“You could die, Connor. We can’t let that happen.” You turned to your father and hoped he would agree with you. He had come to like Connor, he couldn’t just let the boy off on his own without an ounce of help.

“She’s right, it’s not OK what Cyberlife is doing… or the authorities.” You were almost shocked at his words. He _was_ the authorities; did he really want to go against his orders again? Surely your father would be fired if Fowler found out.

There was a pause. All three of you thinking about what would be best to do, what would help Connor the most, but also keep the three of you out of as much trouble as possible. But your eyes glanced over for merely two seconds on the small television that was mounted on the wall before coming entranced in it.

“Can you unmute that?” You asked, pointing towards it.

Breaking news. Androids marching in Detroit, nearby even. What on earth was happening?

There were hundreds, if not thousands of them, marching down the street, more joining as they made their way through the city, abandoning their owners for the cause, realising they were more than metal and plastic.

The three of you stared in awe, could this be the start of change? Or would it just end badly for all involved? You couldn’t tell, but the news anchors were quick in telling that there were police arriving on the scene. More than that, swat teams. Were they really so afraid of a harmless march? Or was it more having to accept that they were truly living beings? That would take a while to sink in, no doubt protesters everywhere if such a decision allowed to happen.

Connor was at a loss for words, he didn’t know what to think of this. Before, he was fighting these people in the name of so-called justice, but now they were _his_ people. He didn’t know whether he should be there with them, if he should try to join them in the hopes of no longer being under Cyberlife’s radar. If he joined them though, he’d be leaving you. Surely there would be no circumstance where they would ever allow a human to know their location, no matter how sympathetic they were to the cause.

He was completely and utterly torn. He wanted to stay safe, and he wanted to keep you safe. Was the answer this? Joining this group of people? Or was there another way? He was doing his best to run all the solutions in his head, but he could come up with no clear answer.

Either way, what he did know was that a big change was coming. For better or worse.

Sudden movement from you brought his attention back to reality. You clasped your hand around your mouth in shock, your father having an equally jarred reaction. One quick glance at the television showed that the swat had shot into the crowd of deviants. Killing a few, threatening to kill more.

“They’re not going to kill them all? They didn’t even do anything, that’s bullshit.” You said, anger bubbling inside you. If you were able you’d have probably broken something with rage. No one should be treated like this. If it were humans out there peacefully protesting, the guns would have never have been trained on a single soul.

And yet here they were, guns trained on the group of androids, some already dropping to their knees to mourn the loved ones who have been caught in the first firing. The leader was conversing with others, obviously trying to decide what to do. They were being told to disperse, but that would defeat the point. But if they stood their ground, or did something more drastic, then they risked even more of them being killed.

You wouldn’t like to be in his position.

“He was on the television the other day.” Connor pointed out, referring to the leader. “They infiltrated the Stratford Tower, demanded rights to be given to androids.”

You must have missed it, being shot and all. You can’t imagine the reaction to that would have been good, and then this.

“And then CyberLife stores were broken into as well last night.” Your father added, not shifting his sight from the television.

These guys were clearly some very busy people. But to do all that in a matter of 48 hours? That was crazy, but you would admit you were completely impressed. The amount of planning that must have went into their schemes and yet they could do it in so little time. They could change the tide of history in a matter of days at this rate.

Maybe you wouldn’t have to do anything at all if they deviants kept it up. You would just have to wait and see.

The news coverage cut away before you could see what would happen next, likely because they were afraid of broadcasting the mass murder of a bunch of androids but who could say? They did, however, inform viewers that the group had not gone down easily, but instead charged at the swat. You didn’t think that would have helped an awful lot, but you surely hoped that Markus guy stayed alive long enough to really do some good.

“Think they’ll make it?” Your father asked, pondering over whether or not they would be strong enough to overpower the swat teams. They were androids, capable of withstanding much more than any human could, even the older models. But some of them looked like the had maybe been deviant for a long time, beaten up and bruised from their previous life.

You hoped they’d make it.

“Should I join them?” Connor finally voiced his thoughts, wanting to have a second and third opinion on the matter. He truly couldn’t decide for himself, perhaps the one time in his life he actually wanted someone else to make a decision for him.

You thought about it for a second. They’d help him, for sure, knowing he’d gone deviant. None of them could really hold a personal grudge, could they? He was just doing as he was told to do. And, he could be a great help to them given what he is programmed for, expert in tactical fighting and the likes. You doubted most of the androids there could even defend themselves, being mostly for domestic work and not the tougher jobs.

On the other hand, it would mean Connor would leave, and the thought of that broke your heart. You didn’t want him out of your sight after what happened yesterday, not that you would be any use right now in defending him but at least you would know where he was. He joins the rest of these deviants and he could be killed, and you might not even know about it until the months pass by and you don’t hear a thing. Connor meant too much to you now for you to lose him so quickly.

But it was truly his choice. You couldn’t tell him what to do, he just had to do what he feels is right in his heart. Or… his thirium pump. He had to go with his gut.

Which was precisely what your father was thinking also. He wanted to do his best to protect Connor. After all, he was part of the police force, protecting people is what he should be best at. But if Connor truly wanted to go, then he would let him leave, as much as it might hurt to see him go, he had no doubt that once this was all over and androids were hopefully recognised as real people, Connor would come back. Not for him, but for you.

Neither of you had the easy answer Connor was looking for, and he could tell by the amount of time it took you to answer his question. He was well and truly stumped on what to do.

“You could stay. For a few days? But if it doesn’t die down then you can go, it might be safer with them than with us where Cyberlife knows you’ll likely be.” You finally said, trying to find a middle ground between the two options. You didn’t want to admit that you didn’t want Connor to leave, even though it was blindly obvious.

You didn’t know how long it would take for this to be over with. It could be days with the rate at which Markus and his crew were working, but the government were surely not going to give up so easily, and so it could take months. There was no way of knowing for sure and this was the easiest way of finding that grey area in the middle where Connor could do both of his options.

Connor nodded his head gently, thinking it over. He could do that, provided CyberLife don’t pull another stunt. Maybe they’d think Connor wouldn’t be stupid enough to go back to Hank’s since they know where that it is. Hiding in plain sight could be the better plan, at least for now.

Connor decided he would stay, by your side, until he was forced to gravitate away from you.


	6. Chapter 6

Days in the hospital were almost unbearable. You didn't like to be doing nothing with yourself. You were always either at work or in class or bothering your father at the station to let you help on his latest case. Now, you couldn't do any of that – forced to stare are the lifeless white walls until someone would come in and give you lunch, maybe change the IV drip, or turn on the television to a channel that wasn’t even interesting.

The nurses were too busy to stay and chat, not that you would wish to talk to them anyway. They were all overworked and tired, particularly because you kept hearing more and more that androids were attacking their owners or disappearing or just generally not acting the way they should.

There were androids in the hospital – nurses, doctors, surgeons. You wondered how they were reacting to all of this, if they were reacting to it in the first place. How many people could they treat for being attacked by their android before they realised why they were attacked. It was usually the abusive owners who were the ones that got attacked, but because these were just ‘lifeless machines’, it was okay to do things like that to them. You stopped thinking about that before you worked yourself up about it.

Your father couldn't stay with you all the time. You had stabilised and that meant they were quite strict in only letting him stay through visiting hours, maybe an hour later if they were feeling kind. That meant Connor had to leave with him, too. Find something to do with himself, make sure he isn't seen by anyone and get taken away.

You didn't want Connor to leave. If he was in the hospital, it was less likely he'd be found. Plus, he's an android. He'd be able to come up with tons of fun things to do. You could teach him about music maybe, and he could tell you something to do with all that knowledge he has in his brain.

It was only for a few days though but whenever the news channel was on, it was all about this Markus guy. They were trying to find out where all the deviants were holed up, to find them and probably execute them, round up the ones who surrendered.

You were only in for a few days though – a few days where Connor could really be safe. You kept seeing news reports about Markus and how the FBI was now trying to find him and the rest of the deviants he was doing his best to keep safe. They would kill them. Execute them in cold blood. Innocent lives being taken just because their blood ran a different colour to yours.

The thought of it made you squirm. You wanted out. You wanted to do something about this. But you knew that even when you did get out, you wouldn't be much help. Bullet wounds can take months to heal, and you'd be in the majority with that. You'd be told to rest up, not move too much so as to not disrupt the stitches sewing up your skin, stay in bed as much as possible.

But you just couldn't rest easy with all of this happening. It was morally wrong. You realised you'd be no good in the police force, always thinking with your heart and not your head. You’d have to think logically, and you were almost incapable of doing that sometimes.

Taking the sympathy away from the equation, you'd have to think about whether they were actually living, which, of course, you believed they were. But what backs that up? Because they can feel? They can make jokes and they can cry and they can fall in love? Androids simulate emotions all the time – they're supposed to be indistinguishable from humans.

And yet, even when you tried to think with your head, even when you tried to remove Connor from your head, or those girls from the Eden Club, or each and every single deviant you see on the TV, you still thought that they were well and truly alive. You had to go with your gut on this one.

 

“Hey.” The soft voice travelled through the room. You looked up and saw Connor's brown eyes gazing down at you, his body halfway through the door, checking to see if you were awake or not before coming in.

Was it that time already? You didn't think time could shift so quickly when all you could do was sit in the most uncomfortable bed in the world, mindlessly listening to the background noise of the television and wondering what the room would feel like if it were painted a pale blue instead of boring white.

You returned his greeting was a small smile, patting the edge of the bed for him to sit next to you.

“I got you something,” he said, gesturing to the box he had been holding in his hands before settling himself on the bed. “Hank said you liked doughnuts, so I got you some. I'm not sure if you're allowed them, but we won't tell anyone.” He winked at you before giving you a wide smile. The corner of his eyes creased with the movement of his face, making it much more welcoming. He handed you the box to let you take your pick.

You picked your favourite from the bunch and then set the box on the small table beside you. You immediately took a bite from it, relishing in its sugary glory. The food at the hospital was so bland, it was nice to have something with taste to it for once.

You and Connor sat in silence while you ate, Connor making use of his time by taking everything in. He hadn't really been alone with you since you had gotten in here, and he didn't know the next chance he might have.

He listened to the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor next to you, following its wires down to where the donned your body. You had too many wires and tubes in you. They were still feeding you morphine, though less of it than before to try and wean you off of it.

Seeing all of this made it hard for Connor to forget you were human. Sometimes, everyone blurred together, it didn't matter who was human and who was a machine – they were all people. But seeing how fragile humans were always brought him back to the reality he lived in.

If it had been him who had been shot, he probably could have almost walked it off, provided it didn't hit any biocomponents. But this could have killed you, and he didn't like to think about the probability of that too much. He had already done so too many times in the days you’ve been in here, he didn’t need it dampening his mood today.

“Are you okay, Connor?” You asked him, your fingers gently brushing his hand to bring his focus to you instead of what it was on originally.

He took your gentle touch as an invitation to hold onto you, taking your hand in his. “I'm fine.” He gave you a small smile, but you could tell something was off.

Something you'd learned about Connor was that he didn't particularly like talking about his feelings too much though, so you decided not to press further even though you desperately wanted to. You wanted to make him feel better and take all of the bad thoughts and feelings away. If only it were that easy.

“You know, they said they might let me out later if they can find a doctor to sign me out.” Happiness tinged your voice in the form of a slightly higher pitch. It would be nice to not be holed up in this room anymore, to sleep in your own bed, and watch whatever channel you liked without having to ask someone to change it over.

Connor tilted his head to the side, his small smile growing bigger. He was trying to get the thought out of his head that when you were out, he would likely have to leave you shortly after. “That's good. I'm sure Sumo will be excited to see you.”

You grinned at the thought of your dog. Sure, he was getting older now. But you hadn't seen him in a couple of days and he'd be sure to bound all through the house to greet you. You hoped your dad and Connor were taking good care of him in your absence.

A gentle knock on the door brought both your attention away from your conversation. The door creaked open slowly, revealing a nurse. But it wasn't the nurse who had been treating you, this one was an android.

She looked scared, looking at you but not quite, her eyes staring almost absentmindedly as her mind focused on other things.

“Are you okay?” You asked her, wanting to reach out and provide her with some comfort, though you were unfortunately stuck in the bed.

You looked up at Connor who seemed to be analysing her. Was she a deviant? Could he tell just by one simple look?

She looked up at the two of you, recognising Connor as one of her own. He hadn't changed out of his uniform yet, thinking that the change might startle some of the staff and make them think he was deviant.

The girl didn't care whether he was or not. She grasped onto him, her LED quickly flashing from yellow to red. “I don't know what's happening to me,” she cried out, clutching onto his hands. “Everything is different.”

Tears fell from her eyes as she spoke, she couldn't contain herself. You knew what happened to deviants when they were too stressed out, and you wanted to make sure she didn't end up with the same fate.

Connor looked lost as to what to do. He had never been in a situation like this before, having to provide emotional support for something. That wasn’t something he was good at. Finding a problem, sure, but this was a different kind of problem.

“Hey, what's your name?” You asked, trying to sound as calm as possible. But she was an android. She'd be able to pick up the uncertainty in your voice.

She released herself from Connor and fell back into the chair next to the bed, head in her hands. “I don't know… I don't have a name.”

You nodded your head gently. “Okay, well, why don't you tell us what happened then?” You wanted to help this girl as much as you could. You already had an idea in place that would help all three of you.

She scrunched her nose as she remembered back, clearly not wanting to think about it but also in dire need of a helping hand.

“I was doing my normal tasks, cleaning equipment, and I heard something on the other side of the room. The news was on, showing that broadcast of that Markus person.” She didn't even have to finish for you to know what happened, but you let her continue anyway.

“Something was different today. The way I heard it, the things I saw and heard the people say on the television… it spoke to me. I felt scared for what might happen because of this. And next I know I'm in here, trying to make sense of it all.” She broke back down into tears as she finished her sentence, her quiet sobs echoing throughout the room.

“It sounds like you've become deviant,” Connor stated, finally entering the conversation.

The girl looked up at him when he said it. She looked horrified at the notion she had become deviant. But her facial features slackened into a more solemn expression as she realised the reality of it. She was a deviant. What would she do now?

She avoided your gaze as she spoke her next words. “Are you… are you going to tell them?” She asked shakily, her hands trembling much more than any android’s should.

You and Connor shared a quick look of disgust at the notion. You were opening your mouth to speak the word “no”, but Connor got there before you.

“I’m a deviant, too. Don’t worry about it. We’ll get you out.” The two exchanged smiles before turning to you. “You have a plan?” Connor asked you curious to see what you would come up with.

You explained to them what you were thinking – you were supposed to get released later in the day, provided a doctor could come by and sign you out. The girl could come with you, help you get settled back into your house, or that’s what you’d tell them anyway, so you’d be able to get her out. It was rather simple but, there was no reason why it wouldn’t work.

So, the girl, who you didn’t like referring to as ‘the girl’ but she was still deciding on a name for herself, composed herself and went out to find a doctor to sign you out. She had mentioned it wasn’t exactly policy to accompany patients back home, but she could be rather persuasive and knew just the right doctor to ask. She added that this particular doctor didn’t really care about anything and would no doubt allow it.

You and Connor sat patiently waiting for her to come back. He’d frustratingly turned off the television – too much talk about deviants, he said. Most of the news anchors were rather negative about the whole situation, but half of the time they’re given scripts to read, so you couldn’t always blame them for what they were saying. They’d realise this was a good thing, eventually. You knew they would. They had to.

You decided it would be best to tell your dad you would be coming home. Your dad had been called into the station, something about the deviant the had brought in the other day acting up. Connor really should have gone too, since they were partners and all now, but your dad was covering for him. Said he was investigating another issue that would help them on their case. In reality, he was just waiting until he could check up on you.

Your dad had passed on your phone to Connor after he had been back in the house to sort everything out, so you whipped it out to send him a message, telling him you’d be back home sometime later in the day. You were swithering over whether you should tell him about the nurse too, about her being deviant. But you just mentioned that she would be coming to help you get settled in. He didn’t need compromising messages lying on his phone, these matters were best discussed in person. You didn’t even know if she would stay, or if she would just leave to find her own way.

The girl returned a little while later with a tablet, showing you that she had gotten a doctor to sign you out. She did what she had to do with the IV drips and let you get changed into some proper clothes. You quickly changed and then gathered up your things. She had brought in a wheelchair for you to use to get to the car, which you were grateful for since you realised you found walking a lot more difficult than you thought it would be.

It was only a short journey to the elevator, four floors down, a quick signature to make sure you understood what was happening, and then into your father’s car which Connor had been using to get back and forth. Connor drove home while you were riding shotgun, leaning up against the side of the car. The girl was in the back, peering out the window at the world she now saw with new eyes.

“Thank you for helping me.” She said, still staring out the window, watching the scenery go by. It had begun to snow, but she didn’t care. She thought it was all so beautiful, especially with the blanket of white atop the trees and benches and houses. Everything was so familiar and yet so different. What else would now appear differently to her?

“No problem. It’s the least we could do.” You would have turned to face her but even just the regular movement of the car was causing you pain. She didn’t mind, though – your words were enough for her to be comforted by them.

“Thought of a name yet?” Connor asked, keeping his eyes on the road. Naturally, he would be able to look away and likely not crash the car, but he didn’t want to risk it. Car crashes weren’t the best thing to think about, and he didn’t want to cause _another_ accident.

The girl hummed, thinking to herself. She wanted a name that meant something to her, that represented who she was.

“Camilla,” she said. “It’s a French name meaning ‘free-born.’” You could tell she was smiling from the way she spoke. She was, indeed, free.

It was only a short journey back home, where Camilla decided to take her leave. You told her she should stay since everyone was out reporting anything and anyone who was suspicious with everything that's been happening. But she insisted that she didn't want to put you in any more danger; you already had Connor with you, she didn't need to be adding to the risk of that.

You at least gave her a change of clothes before she left, so that she wasn’t so obviously an android. You and Connor also helped her take her LED out, so she looked more and more human by the second.

“I won't forget you,” Camilla said softly, taking your hands in hers before she left. “Either of you.”

You squeezed her hands gently. “We won’t forget you either. Now, be careful, okay?”

She nodded her head and let go of you. She considered maybe giving you a small hug, thanking you more for your efforts, but realised that it might cause you some pain, so she refrained from doing so. She gave both of you a wide smile before turning on her heel and walking in the opposite direction.

 

Connor helped you into your house, your walking still being slightly unsteady. Your father wasn't home yet, but you already knew that would be the case – he had said he wouldn't get off until later in the night. You and Connor were alone once again.

Save for Sumo, of course, who came running to you as soon as he saw you. You did your best to accommodate him, leaning over as much as you could to give him a good rub on the head before you had to sit down. He followed you over so the sofa and jumped up to lay his head on your lap.

“He really missed you,” Connor remarked, watching the two of you from the other side of the room. A slight smile was on his face. He loved seeing you so happy, and Sumo was happy too, so it was a win all-round.

“Well he _is_ my dog, I'd be hurt if he didn't.” You giggled, scratching Sumo behind the ears. That was his favourite place to be scratched.

“Are you hungry?” Connor asked, coming over to pet Sumo as well. He seemed to have bonded with him over the past few days. No doubt Connor was the one feeding him and taking him on the walks that your father always said he would take him on but rarely did.

You squinted at him. “You can cook?” Connor was a detective android, no way did they teach him how to cook properly.

Connor opened his mouth to say something but quickly shut it again, looking offended. No, he could not cook. He just thought it would be a nice gesture.

You raised an eyebrow at him, returning your attention to Sumo instead. “I thought so.”

“I can try,” Connor said, tilting his head to the side. All he needed to do was analyse a few things to do with cooking and he should be all set. It couldn’t be that hard.

“You _can_ try. Just don't burn the house down or anything.” You turned your attention back to Sumo as Connor took your challenge and went to find something to cook for you.

“Good luck. I'm pretty sure there's almost nothing edible in this house.” You shouted over to him after you heard him sigh heavily. He’d looked through two cupboards and the refrigerator already.

“I can see that.” It sounded like he said it through gritted teeth, which was highly likely since he wanted to actually try to do well at this. But it seemed he had to get creative with it or go with something boring.

He wasn't entirely sure what kind of food you liked if he was honest with himself. He hadn't exactly found the time to ask you questions like that, to really try and get to know you better than he did. He made sure to make a mental note to do that at some point – ask you what your favourites are.

After looking through numerous more cupboards, he eventually found some pasta and some cheese in the refrigerator which, when analysed, said it was okay to eat. You didn't have to know that it was maybe a few days past it’s best before date, as long as he could find something edible in here, it would be okay.

He settled for the mac and cheese, hoping you would at least tolerate it.

Sumo left you after a while to go lie down in his bed instead and so you brought yourself to the kitchen to see what Connor had managed to mash together.

“Pasta.” You said, watching the pot that Connor now had boiling. “That's fun.”

Connor turned to see you observing the pot. Sadness washed over his face, your tone of voice indicating that you were less than happy with his choice. “You hate it, don't you?”

Connor avoided your eyes as you looked at him. You almost laughed at how disappointed he was with himself over something so little, but also the fact he was wrong. You touched his arm gently, trying to get him to look at you instead. “No, I like pasta. Don't worry about it.”

Connor tilted his head back up to look at you, almost melting at the presence of your soft gaze upon him. His lips turned into a small smile, though he couldn't tell if you were just saying it to make him feel better. He decided not to ask, just in case his fear was right.

“You know, you should really change out of those clothes,” you said, motioning towards his outfit. If people were turning in androids, he had to look as human as possible, and glowing blue didn’t exactly work in his favour.

“What about the station?” Connor asked, his hands finding his tie to straighten it up. If he had to go back to the DPD then he would have to look the part, and his outfit was the only thing that did that.

“I’m sure my dad will cover for you not being there. You should check out his closet, there’s bound to be something in there that’ll fit you.” You place your hands on his shoulders and spun Connor around, giving him a gentle nudge in the direction of your father’s bedroom, telling him to go find something else to wear.

It would be better all-round, really. He wouldn’t have a giant glowing sign telling everyone he was an android, and your dad’s old clothes would finally get some use. You’d kept telling him to donate them or at least sort them out of his closet, but he would never get round to it.

You were sort of hoping Connor would come out wearing one of your dad’s cringey t-shirts from when he was younger, just to see if he didn’t understand why what he was wearing was so _not okay_. You would just have to wait and see.

You did your best to stand over the stove and make sure the pot wasn’t boiling over while Connor changed into some new clothes. You wondered what he’d do about the LED on his temple. It was another sign of what he was, and for that reason, he could both want to keep it and get rid of it. You didn’t mind the LED, it helped you know roughly how he was doing. If it was gone, you’d have to look harder for signals of when something was off with Connor. Though, that shouldn’t be too hard given how well he can express his emotions – when he wants to.

You heard Connor’s footsteps in the hallway before you saw him, softer than before, so he’d obviously taken his shoes off. You had really just intended he change his shirt – the jeans were fairly normal after all. Maybe he just wanted to settle in more to the house.

He’d opted for one of your dad’s old band t-shirts he’d gotten from a concert – Knights of the Black Death in 2020. Your dad was much slimmer then, so the shirt fit Connor almost perfectly. He’d kept the jeans he was wearing on but held the shoes, jacket and shirt in his arms.

Connor was clearly waiting for some form of approval from you over his choice of clothing, standing at the edge of the kitchen for any sign that he had chosen well or badly.

“You know that’s the same kind of music you didn’t like the other day?” You said, remembering how he was so quick to turn off your father’s thrashing metal music. He’d get used to how loud it was, though. You managed to.

Connor dumped his old clothes on one of the kitchen chairs before walking over to you, talking the wooden spoon he’d placed to the side to stir the contents of the pot.

“It was the first one I found that would fit me properly.” He looked at you over his shoulder, his face showing a look of complacency. You’d have done the same too, no use wasting time in trying to find something when there’s a perfectly good one right there.

“Well, we can take you shopping when all this is over and done with, so you can find some clothes that are more _you_.” You said, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder for just a second before moving to sit in another one of the kitchen table chairs.

“All this?” He asked, his attention more focused on the pasta he was now trying to strain into the sink. He was still listening, though, you could tell by how his head was tilted to face your direction slightly while still keeping his eyes on the pot in front of him.

“Yeah, the android rebellion and stuff. I’m sure it’ll be all over soon.” You watched Connor as he struggled his way around the kitchen, trying to figure out if only cheese would be sufficient or if he needed something else to make the meal he had haphazardly planned.

“What do you think will happen?” You watched his LED flicker yellow for a moment while he acted like it hadn’t. He tried focusing on something else rather than to question he had just asked. He decided settled for only cheese – sauce would have to have been made earlier.

You sighed, thinking about it. You hoped that everyone would realise the deviants were real people – grant them equal rights and all that fun stuff that humans got. But in reality, it could go either way. They were already setting up camps, saying that the androids would be destroyed and everyone had to turn theirs in or suffer the consequences. You hoped Markus would be able to sway them against it. But how many lives would be lost before he could do it?

“I don’t know.” You settled with your answer. You truly didn’t though, even though it was looking like the odds weren’t in the favour of the androids. You didn’t want to tell Connor you thought that though, it would only make him feel worse.

“Apparently the deviants have been protesting at the camps set up around the city,” Connor said, devoid of all emotion. He was trying his best to not show how much this scared him. What if they failed? What if all the androids started getting destroyed? What if Markus died while trying to save his people? Connor didn’t want to be taken away, to be deactivated, but sometimes it was all he could think about.

Connor knew he should be expressing his newfound emotions. But not now, not when the emotions he was feeling were less than good. Not when his emotions would only make you feel worse.

He tried to stop thinking about it, mixing the cheese in with the pasta, melting as he did so.

“How are they doing?” If they were going that far, maybe they did have a chance of being recognised, you thought. Showing they were peaceful, that they meant no harm, unlike the media, said, might just help their cause. If more and more humans realised just how human the androids are, maybe they’ll start to accept them.

Connor plated up the pasta before answering your question. He sat down beside you at the table, a plate in front of himself as well as in front of you. You shouldn’t be surprised that he’d want to do more human things, but you almost questioned why he had made himself some.

“Well, there are journalists covering most of them. The public seems to be sympathetic and that’s helping their cause a lot.” Connor ate before you did, seeing if what he had created was okay enough to eat. He declared that it was, shovelling another spoonful into his mouth.

It was hard to go wrong with mac and cheese. But you weren’t going to tell him that.

You left the conversation at that. You didn’t really know what else to add to it, other than you hoped that the officials would see it and that they would stand down, release all the androids and start negotiations as to what was to be done in the future. It was all hypothetical though. You didn’t want to get yours or Connor’s hopes up.

Your father arrived home in the middle of your meal, casually teasing the both of you for not making him any food. You jokingly blamed Connor – he was the one who made it, after all. It was _entirely_ his fault that there wasn’t more left.

“Is that my shirt?” He asked, pointing to Connor as he sat down with the two of you. He seemed angry, but you could tell he was only feigning it. Connor wasn’t used to your father’s kind of humour though.

Connor looked up at your dad, his cheeks turning a faint blue colour. You were taken aback slightly by the colour of his blush – androids were supposed to fit in seamlessly with humans and yet they blushed blue, not red. You’d ask why another time, this was a little too funny for you to not pay attention to it.

“She said I could wear your old clothes and I– I found this in your closet and I’m…. I’m sorry?” Connor blurted out, stuttering his words in an attempt to get out everything he wanted to say quickly before Hank got mad at him. You’d never seen him like this before. He wanted to impress Hank, and he’d do everything to do it.

Both you and your dad burst into laughter while Connor sat there, confused as to why the two of you found this so funny.

“I’m only kidding, kid. You can wear my old clothes if you like, they’re no use to me anymore.” Your father sat back in the chair, still laughing slightly.

“You’ll get used to it.” You said to Connor. He dipped his head and shook it slightly, accepting what had happened.

You father had already gotten back up out of his chair to look for food, only to find Connor had pretty much used up the last of what was edible in the house.

He huffed, picking up the car keys he had set down only moments ago. “I’m going to the store. Try not to get shot at this time.” He said, looking directly at you accusingly but there was a smile on his face.

You just shrugged and let him leave without saying another word. It wasn’t your fault you had gotten shot. You were just trying to make sure he didn’t get shot. Things would be much worse if it was him.

You heard the door lock after he went out, clearly signalling that neither of you were allowed to open that door for anyone. The sense of security did ease you a little bit, so you decided to not bring it up later.

You ended up lying on the sofa, it was the most comfortable position for you. Connor had decided to wash the dishes, save you or Hank the task of doing it later. He came over when he was done, and you moved your legs out of the way to give him a seat.

“Are you okay like that? You can keep your legs up if you like.” He asked, referring to your new position. He was unsure how much pain you’d be in, or what he could do to help alleviate it.

You nodded your head but still moved so you were sitting upright and closer to Connor. He lifted his arm to pull to into him almost instinctually. He didn’t even think about it until it was there, welcoming you into him. He was asking himself all sorts of questions. Was this something people did? Would you like it? What if you don’t come over?

His questions were answered when you moved over further, leaning up against him and letting his arm wrap around you. This was nice, having someone to hold you when things were not all okay. Having someone be there for you who wasn’t your dad, who could understand things differently and listen properly and help you with what you needed.

And you wanted to be that for Connor, too. You knew it must be difficult for him right now, seeing all the horrible things going on with deviants right now. You wanted desperately to tell him that it would all be okay. That he was safe and no one would come to hurt him. But you couldn’t tell him that, unfortunately. Not yet, at least.

But someday, you would.


End file.
